


My Many Lives: Dragon Nest

by Allegra_Note



Series: My Many Lives [4]
Category: Dragon Nest (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Growing Up, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:20:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 53,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25249810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allegra_Note/pseuds/Allegra_Note
Summary: Ana finds herself in Lagendia, in the midst of a brewing war. History is repeating itself, and the dragons are returning....Wait. What's all this talk about this world being "home"? Oh, man. Memories are coming back to her, slowly but surely, and she realizes nothing is what it seems. When it comes to her, at least. Buckle up, because it's going to be a wild ride.
Series: My Many Lives [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/363560
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last chapter I have already done. Though I'm working on NaNoWriMo with this project, it's very slow going. There's just no inspiration for me at the moment, sadly. I am working on it, though! Just... slowly. Pffft.

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Preface:

A year.

A whole year of my magic fighting me, of it fighting me. I wasn’t sure if it was ignoring me or what, but I couldn’t do _anything_. The only “magic” that happened was the sky turning dark and the people turning in to coffins at eight am, sometimes nine. It depended on daylight savings time. The shadowy creatures pouring out from seemingly thin air. Like when I was a kid, before I wound up in Thedas.

I sure as hell didn’t miss that.

Other than that, and the beings that formed when I called on them-Alice, Helel, Lilith, Kohryu, among others-there was no magic to be had.

I was stuck here, with the memories of having lived here the entire time I’d been gone. With a mother who acted as though I hadn’t disappeared one day. It was... really weird.

Thankfully, with Alina popping in every once in a while, being so kind as to deliver a message here and there between me and Zevran, we were able to keep in contact. Albeit the bare minimum, but hey. Every little bit counted.

With her help, I was able to write that letter for my right hand man, so he could go see Alistair’s secret library.

I continued on, going to school and doing homework, going through the motions of day to day life. Wearing turtlenecks under everything.

But it didn’t matter what I did, I was lonely.

Something about me was off-putting to everyone around. Even my own mother. I wasn’t sure what it was, but everyone gave me a wide berth. No matter how hard I’d tried, no one gave me a second glance. The worst part of it, I think, was that, according to the memories I had, it had always been like this.

Me, alone. Class projects, such as they were at this grade level, alone. Lunchtime, alone. Recess, alone, staying inside and cleaning the classroom because I didn’t want to be around the other children. Home, alone, my mother glued to the tv. As long as she had that, she was fine. If I disturbed her, without a commercial playing, she went off, so... I spent most of my time alone.

When Alina was gone, more often than not of course, the voices of the Wellbeing were my only company. They were deeply knowledgeable about mathematics and literature, actually. Science, too. It made me wonder what ancient Arlathan had really been like, for them to know so much. It also helped that they absorbed every bit of knowledge, too. If I read it, heard it, thought it, they took it in as their own. As the end of the school year drew nearer, I didn’t have to do anything, save for looking at the books and handouts. Letting the voices take it all in, having them whisper the answers for everything to me.

It became a game of sorts, to stretch the limits. There was nothing else for me to do. And it paid off, really. I could fluently speak, read, and write Spanish and French. It had been a little touch and go, with the speaking, always needing a few seconds for the voices to translate because it wasn’t instantaneous. But, honestly, I’d thought writing would be the hardest part. As long as I let the Well guide me, I could do it all.

It made me wonder what someone with ill intentions could do with them, and it made me shudder every time I thought about it.

May 2005

It was a week or so after my thirteenth birthday, which had passed without fanfare of any kind. My mother having forgotten or chosen not to celebrate. I wasn’t sure which. It wasn’t anything abnormal, if my memories were anything to go by. Every year passed like that.

Dropping my schoolbag onto the floor of the room, I let myself faceplant onto my bed. A groan left me. I hated the wide berth people at school _still_ gave me. I wished I could just melt into the mattress and go back to Thedas.

I missed it with a fierce passion.

After a few minutes, I became aware of being cold. So very, very cold. Pushing myself up to my knees, staring down at the ground beneath me in confusion. Looking all around me as I rose to my feet. Nothing but darkness and-

A woman. Clad in revealing armor, wearing a large ram-like skull mask, she stood in the middle of the dark space.

She didn’t speak, the both of us standing in silence while I took in the change of scenery.

“Who are you?” I asked, feeling drawn to step toward her. Wondering if I should fight it or obey.

“I am the Spirit of Death, in this world.”

“I’m not dead, so why am I here?” My feet carried me toward her, until I stood but a foot away.

“Lagendia is in trouble, and its people need you to return.”

“Return...?” Lagendia didn’t sound familiar, I had no idea what she was talking about.

Flashback, Unknown Time Ago

I was myself, but not in control. A passenger along for the ride, the ride being a vision of the past, though I didn’t know how long ago.

I was sitting on a blanket, a basket of food beside me as I sunbathed in a patch of grass, trees encircling the glade. Older, just by a few years, than I currently was. Seventeen... eighteen, I wasn’t exactly sure.

Something in the brush moved, grabbing my attention, but I kept my eyes closed and on the sun behind my lids. Giving no sign that I’d heard anything amiss.

The grass lightly crunched as someone, or something, landed from one of the tree branches high up just a couple feet away from me.

My spirit reaching out, I _saw_ with my mind’s eye a boy, no older than sixteen, dressed in classic Assassin gear, his expression clouded.

“I have food, if you’re hungry.” I offered quietly.

He swallowed hard, shaking his head. “I’m here to warn you. I’m traveling with-”

I slowly opened my eyes, irises the purest silver, a sign I was in a vision. It stopped him short, his mouth falling open at the sight.

“Lunaria isn’t far behind you.” A sadness settled on my features.

It was strange, I was the me lounging in the meadow, but I had glimpses of myself. My eyes, my mouth, my expression. As if I was seeing it from yet another perspective.

“I wish we could coexist, but as long as she intends to kill me, that can’t happen.” Standing I brushed myself off, the sundress flowing around me. “I’ll leave. Go somewhere she can’t find me.”

“You’ve already tried jumping through time, there’s nowhere you can go...”

“Ah, but there is. She can’t world walk.” I smiled softly, gesturing toward the basket. “Feel free to stay and eat. I didn’t prepare it for me.”

A doorway to another world, resembling an ornate mirror, opened just behind me, and I stepped backward into it.

All of the torture I’d endured, all of the many lives I’d lived. Being reborn, found, experimented on. Reborn, found, experiment. The cycles I’d lived through, finally breaking two lifetimes before the current one, they’d all stemmed from the vision I was having, had had?, at the time he’d approached.

I’d need it all, to gain the strength needed to help defeat what Lagendia would go through in a few hundred years’ time.

Present Time

“Will you offer aid?”

The world returned, piece by piece, around me, and I was once again staring at the mask.

“I will.” There was a lot to sift through in that vision, a lot to think about. Luckily, the Well would be a great help, in processing it all. I wouldn’t have to do it alone.

“Welcome home.”

Another flash of light, and I was standing in the middle of the woods in an unfamiliar land.

_Home?_

The sound of metal clanging against metal reached my ears after several minutes had passed, where I’d been adjusting to the scenery around me. Wondering what to do, where to go. That seemed a dangerous direction to head.

So, being me, I set off that way. Because _of course_ I did.

A minute, two, three passed, before I came upon the fight. Little... goblin-like creatures, wearing only loincloths, had a teen boy wielding a sword pinned at the edge of a cliff. Scattered around, behind the goblins, were three other teens. All unconscious, it seemed. One of them looked to be a magic user, judging from how she was dressed. That was all I needed.

“Oi! Over here!” Sticking out my tongue when, as a unit, they all turned to look over at me.

Most of them broke away, swarming my direction. Waiting until they were close enough to reach out and touch, I shrouded myself in fire. The flames dancing all around me, setting the closest creatures on fire, jumping from one to the next in a domino effect.

Instead of being surrounded by corpses, they all... disintegrated...? Like they were made of ash, floating away on the breeze.

Weird, but okay.

The boy was having a much easier time dispatching the remaining ones, so I turned my attention to the people lying on the ground. Going over to the two closest to each other and putting a hand on their shoulders, briefly waiting for them to regain consciousness, before doing the same for the third. As they sat up, the boy ran over, panting hard.

“You’re all alright.” Disbelief clear in his voice, looking over his companions. Eyes turning to me, he grinned. “You’re a game changer.”

“I do what I can.”

“Ugh. I feel like a herd of fluffalo stomped all over me.” The mage got to her feet, hand to the side of her head. A blue energy flashed, and she gave a sigh of relief. “That’s much better.”

The cleric-looking boy quickly stood, reaching down to help up the fashionably-dressed girl.

A flash of soft white light surrounded the lot of them, and their wounds healed over.

“Okay. _That’s_ much better.” She corrected herself, laughing.

I liked her already. Pulled back from the brink of death, and she was laughing.

They talked amongst themselves while I stood there, looking around. Still zero clue about where I was. Waiting for the opportunity to cut in and ask.

Taking the time to really look them over, I noticed that the well-dressed girl’s hair was purple, as were her eyes. She was wearing a blue dress with a long back and short front, a dark, almost black, pair of leggings? Tights? underneath. The ensemble completed with a pair of blue and white knee-high high-heeled boots. The cleric boy’s hair was white, his eyes a deep blue. The open trench coat, shirt underneath, and slacks matching the girl’s outfit. The mage had pink hair, eyes almost the same shade. Her pantsuit, I now realized that’s what she was wearing, a dark purple. Kitten heels matching. The warrior, dirty blonde hair and soft brown eyes. Finally having a moment to notice after all the chaos, I saw he was wearing a light brown tank top and dark brown baggy pants, which were tucked into brown workers boots. Boy really liked brown, I guess. Or liked that they matched his eyes? Huh.

The purple haired girl’s eyes flicked over to me, and she fixed a dazzling smile on her face. She was used to taking the role of hostess, I assumed. “So, who are you?”

“I’m Anastasia.”

“Thank you for helping us, Anastasia! We would’ve been toast without you.”

“You look... a little lost.” The healer spoke up, his voice quiet, eyes kind.

“I am, actually. I, um. I have no idea where I am. Or how I got here, really.”

“Oh, no! You weren’t kidnapped, were you? That’s been happening quite frequently!” Her eyes were the size of saucers, the concern dramatically clear on her face.

Where the hell was I?

“Oh, don’t listen to her.” The mage rolled her eyes, pushing the other girl out of the way so she could stand in her place. “A girl from Prairie Town, she had visions, was kidnapped. For her blood or something. He’s helping track her down.” A thumb jerked over her shoulder toward the warrior, who was still standing a little ways off, watching the conversation unfold.

He gave a little wave at my glance. I could feel the smile spreading. I liked these people. Who’s names I still didn’t know.

“Anyway, we can help you get back to Calderock. It’s not that far.” She pointed to herself. “I’m Illaria, a sorceress. That’s Elreid, a Lancea. One of the Justitias. I say “one of” because there’s a billion of them.”

“There are not!”

“And they all virtually look the same.”

“We’re cousins!”

“Your sister is your cousin?”

“You...!” Crossing her arms, Elreid pouted.

“I’m just teasing her. She’s fine. Where was I?” A second of thought, and she pointed to the cleric. “That’s Zethial, he’s our token cleric. Healer. Person. Super religious. Doesn’t actually fight, just heals. Which is fine. Means more blood for the rest of us or whatever. And that’s Liam. He’s our tanky warrior. As evidenced by the fact that he was the last one standing.” An expectant look in my direction.

“I’m... just Ana.”

“I think... she should meet Black Opal.” Zethial murmured to the others, barely loud enough for me to hear.

“Do you know _when_ it is?” Illaria was in my face, now. Almost close enough to touch noses.


	2. Let's Chat

Obligatory Chapter Heading:  
Chapter 1:

  
_Truth. Tell the truth. What harm is there in the truth? You don’t know where you are, why make it harder for yourself? Just tell them you don’t know. Where’s the harm? It’s okay, tell the truth._ The Well was being very vocal. It had thoughts on the subject. So many thoughts.  


“No, I really don’t.”  


“To Opal it is!” Raising a hand over her head, she gave the signal to march out. “Tally-ho!”  


Bemused, I fell into step beside Elreid, listening to her talk about Calderock and their other companions.  


An elf, Aedethali, with white hair and silver eyes was their archer. Highly skilled and somehow still saying she had so much left to learn. “ _Elves_. You know, always striving to be the best version of themselves.” But I could tell there wasn’t any heat to her words. The exact opposite, actually. Borderline hero-worship. She wore a cute little half-sleeve white tunic, green leggings, and white boots that went to mid-calf that had green accents.  


Zofya, of the Ancient bloodline, who was Kali-trained. Which meant calling on spirits to help them in fights and using bladed fan-like weapons, dancing around enemies in a flurry of movement. She was dressed like how I would describe a belly dancer, and it made sense, given that one of her specialties was Dancer. A pink and brown top that only covered her bust. The matching skirt she wore open at the hips, only covering her front and back, reaching down to her knees. The outfit tied together with sandals that only covered the balls of her feet, the lacing for them rising up to mid-thigh.  


The Machina, Dawn, that had fallen from an albatross, almost directly into Prairie Town’s town square. She was their friend, it didn’t matter to any of them in the _slightest_ that she was a Dromaji. I didn’t understand what that meant, and I told her so. She simply said “You’ll see” and moved on to the next person. She was dressed more simply, a pair of dark blue shorts and a white tank top. No shoes.  


I wondered if Elreid might be interested in fashion, with the way she was describing everyone, focusing on what they were wearing.  


Black Opal, which was just what he wanted to be known by, wasn’t his real name. She didn’t think it was, anyway. He’d trained to be an Assassin. Even as young as he was, he was amazing to watch in a fight. Not that it got her butt handed to her a few times, oh no, definitely not. Dressed in the classical Assassin gear. Black on black. Long sleeve, tight-fitting shirt and pants loose enough to maneuver in but not enough to accidentally catch on anything.  


Last but not least, was her sister, Eltia. She dressed similar to Elreid-but her blue and white dress was full, with an almost hoop-like skirt, and she preferred white tights. And ankle boots, white with blue accents. Younger and sickly, she didn’t actually go on missions with them, but she cheered them on from the sidelines, and that kept her going, when she didn’t think she’d make it. There’d been a few close calls since they’d left their family home to travel to Mana Ridge. Today being one of them.  


“Seriously, if you hadn’t shown up when you did, we might’ve...”  


I nodded. “I have a habit of popping in when people need it.”  


“Like Al-Oh! I can’t believe I forgot her!” She facepalmed, sounding exasperated with herself. “She wears these, like, brown shorts and grey t-shirt.” From the sound of it, she wasn’t impressed with whoever it was’ fashion choices.  


Wait... That sounded familiar...  


Before she could continue, there was a break in the trees, and my eyes landed on-  


“Alina?”  


Her head whipped around so fast, it was obvious she was a robot. Eyes wide, she took a step toward me. “Anastasia?”  


“Oh, you two know each other? That’s awesome!”  


We ran at each other, colliding in a mess of limbs. It hurt a little, slamming into a solid metal body, but it didn’t matter nearly as much as the fact that she was here.  


“How’d you get here?”  


“I have no idea. I just... Woke up in the woods.” I didn’t want to say how it had started in front of these people. They were strangers, after all, and I didn’t know if the Spirit of Death was hated or whatever.  


“That’s crazy. Well. Welcome to Lagendia. My home.”  


“Your...” My gaze slowly swept over the sprawling town over her shoulder. Dropping my voice to a murmur. “We really need to talk. I know it hasn’t been that long. For me, at least. I don’t know when we last talked for you, but... So much has happened.”  


“Definitely. Same here.”  


A few minutes later, we were sitting at a little café. The others had given us space to talk. I explained everything that had happened after school today.  


“I’m sorry? Did you say _you met Death??”_ Alina exclaimed, leaning forward across the table.  


I glanced around discreetly, but thankfully no one was paying us any mind. The others in her party more focused on listening to Illaria telling the tale of what had happened, leading them to bringing me to them.  


“I... Is she _bad?”_  


“I don’t think so. Not that I’ve ever met her. Oh! Maybe she’s a Dark Priestess!” A laugh at my expression, which was no doubt resembling a question mark. “They’re good people, despite the name. Always there when things go wrong, to help set things on the right track. I’ve heard they can manipulate time and space.”  


“That’s a hell of a power.” I would know. “Enough about me! What’s happened with you? You said a lot had happened with you, too?”  


“Oh... Right... About that... So... I’m actually here from the future. Trying to save my time. My sister, Jasmine, she sent me back so that I could stop certain things from happening. A dragon, _the_ Red Dragon, from destroying everything. I’m not sure why she sent me so far back and, for some reason, I’m unable to travel through time in Lagendia. But I’ve been to your world-Oh. Thedas. Right, it’s not your world. The other one isn’t either. Man, this must be so confusing to you. I’m sorry.”  


I blinked before waving off her words. “It’s neither here nor there. Did you say “dragon,” Ali?”  


“Yeah! Here, we have dragons that are dragons because they have a Dragon Gem inside them. There’s Argenta, who’s not here right now, but she usually sits over there under that tree.” Pausing, she pointed over toward a large tree that stood by the bridge. “She’s the Silver Dragon, not that anyone else in the group knows that. Yet. They will soon.” A little defensive. I wondered briefly if she didn’t like keeping secrets. “Geraint, her brother, is the Gold Dragon. Velskud...” A flash of something across her face, her tongue fumbling over his name. I made a mental note to ask about that later. “is the Black Dragon.”  


“This feels like in a story, when the narrator gives a huge amount of information all at once.” Chuckling, I shook my head, sitting back against my chair. My eyes raising to the sky beyond her.  


“C’mon!” A young girl’s voice caught my attention, from how loud she was shouting. “It’s not like I attack _everyone_ I meet!”  


The girl in question was... half rabbit? She kind of reminded me of Hermione, when the Polyjuice potion had gone horribly wrong for her.  


“Dawn, _please_.”  


Oh, so this was a Dromaji.   


Light brown fur covered her, what parts I could see that weren’t covered by her blue and black outfit, save for her face. Auburn curls fell around her shoulders, stopping halfway down her back. Her bunny ears, standing tall on her head, the same color as the fur. Large green eyes with round pupils.  


I caught a flash of a tail. A little fluffball bunny tail.  


She was super cute.  


And sounded like me, attitude-wise.  


“I swear, it’s like every one of them was raised in barns.” Alina and I shared a laugh, the fondness in her voice speaking volumes about these people.  


So far, I’d been right to like them. Hadn’t been given a reason to distrust them, yet.  


My gaze wandered over the lot of them. They were missing a couple, from the number of names Elreid had said. As my eyes made their way back to the robot across from me, they fell on another familiar face.  


It was the assassin from the glimpse into the past earlier.  


The chair clattered to the ground as I rushed toward him, I only vaguely heard the noise in my haste to get to him.  


Judging from the expression on his face, once I was closer, I could tell he recognized me.  


“You-” We both started.  


I searched around him, behind him, looking for... I didn’t even know what she looked like, did I?  


“Lunaria is here, at the other end of Calderock.” He hesitantly began, eyes darting in that direction. “If she knew you were here...”  


“I don’t remember anything.” My voice low, almost a whisper. “I had a vision of that day, when I stepped through the portal, but that’s all I have. I don’t know anything else about Lagendia. About you or her.”  


Running his hands over his face, he groaned. “Of course. That’s great. Okay.” A deep breath, blown out gustily. "Okay-”  


A sweet voice sounded by my ear, a hand touching my forearm. “Hello.”  


I blinked, glancing over at the elf. Aedethali, I assumed. “Hello.”  


“Your eyes are beautiful.” The sweetest smile I’d ever seen spread across her face.  


“Oh...” My cheeks flushed from how random the compliment was and how out of it I was with social interaction. I didn’t know what to do or say. “Th-Thank you?” It came out as a question.  


“Aed...” Elreid, looping her arm through the elf’s. “Some people aren’t comfortable with-”  


“No, it’s okay.” The words burst from me, but I didn’t have the chance to feel embarrassed before more words were tumbling out. “I’m just not used to people anymore. Other than Alina, I haven’t really interacted with people for about a year.”  


“I understand.” That smile was back, her head tilting to the side. “Interacting with humans is quite different from my fellow elves. You understand.”  


There was not a shadow of a doubt in her tone. It was true, elves and humans were different, back in Thedas, but I didn’t think it was in the same way as here. Something in her phrasing gave me pause, though. It was like she was hinting at something, but I wasn’t wrapping my head around it quite yet. And the Well was silent, taking it all in. 

Observing, for the time being.  


_I like her._ The spirit was awake now, it seemed.  


_Yeah? She seems nice._ I murmured back. _I like her smile._  


_I like them all, really, but her the most._  


_More than Alina? For shame._  


_Of course not._ I almost laughed at her huff of mock offense.  


My stomach started knotting, and the spirit fell silent. The pain went away as quickly as it had come.  


The familiar feeling of an on-coming vision hit me, and I reached out blindly as my sight faded. Grasping Aedethali’s arm to help me not fall over, starting to feel a little faint. Idly, just before the vision swept me away, I wondered when the last time I’d eaten was. I had skipped lunch again at school, and I never ate breakfasts. I didn’t remember eating dinner last night, and there was no telling how much time had passed while I was with Death earlier. A mental note to eat as soon as I came out of it, and I was gone.  


A pink haired girl, unconscious, in a tall man’s arms as he jumped off a cliff. Various voices from this rag-tag group met my ears, but I couldn’t turn my head to look around before the scene switched.  


That same tall man, flexing one of his hands. Staring at it intently. Quietly speaking to himself, “Finally. The powers of the prophet...” There was something different about him. There was more of him, somehow. Whatever he’d done, power now came off him in waves. Flowing, washing over everything. Suddenly, he glanced around, as if he felt he was being watched. For longer than I felt comfortable, he stared directly at me, eyes probing. Narrowing.  


And then I was myself again, sitting on the grass. Something dabbing at my nose, wiping away the blood.  


“Are you okay?” Aedethali asked, everyone crowded around behind her shoulders. Watching. The lot of them concerned.  


“I’m okay.” I held up my hands in a placating gesture. “I need to eat something, but I’m okay.”  


Alina sat beside me, anxiety pouring off her. “Oh my goddess, that was awful. The bleeding thing, that happens every time??”  


“Yeah. I think it’s dependent on how strong the vision is.”  


A plate was practically pushed into my face. A bread roll, slices of cheese, a few grapes. Along with a cup of water.  


“Here.”  


I took them from Zethial, nodding my thanks. Wasting no time in devouring every last bit. Immediately feeling better.  


“You’re like Rose.” Elreid murmured, sounding reverent.  


Rose. The girl they were looking for. This supposed prophet.  


Illaria sat on my other side, head tilted. “What did you see?”  


“A pink-haired girl-”  


“Rose!” Several people exclaimed at the same time, interrupting me.  


“She was in someone’s arms. He jumped off a cliff, but they were fine. And there was another bit, where-”  


“What did the person look like?” Liam now.  


“Tall. All black. Long, straight black hair. Pale skin. Like, I mean tall tall.” I raised my hand as high as I could. “Probably close to seven feet tall, if I had to guess.”  


They all exchanged glances, expressions grim. This one was known to them.  


“Velskud.” Alina sounded sad, and I made a note to ask her about it later, when we weren’t surrounded by the others.  


“He, ah. There were words, he said something... I couldn’t quite catch what it was though, he was whispering to himself.”  


The robot girl took in a deep breath, holding it. Eyes trained on me. I gave her a nod.  


“Shoo.” She made the motion, trying to get them all to leave us. “Give her some room.”  


They quickly dispersed, already falling into discussions about what to do next, to try to find Velskud and Rose.  


“There was more.” I murmured, keeping an eye out. Making sure we weren’t being eavesdropped on. “He said something about using the prophet’s power. He gained his own or something, there was a wave of it. And then he looked right at me.”  


A shiver ran through her as she stared with wide eyes. “He saw you? In your vision?”  


“Yeah. Now-” I faced her. “Tell me why you’re invested in him. They all had angry reactions, but you... You were sad.”  


“In my time... we’re friends. He was my only friend, my best friend, until I met you.”  


“Ah.” Reaching out, I draped an arm around her shoulders. Pulled her closer. “I’d like to meet him.”  


“He doesn’t know me in this time. I...” A sniffle. “I didn’t think it would hurt this much.”  


“Oh, Ali...”  


We sat like that for a while, her head on my shoulder. My face pressed into her hair, tickling my nose but I didn’t want to move.


	3. It's a Shopping Episode!

Obligatory Chapter Heading:  
Chapter 2:

The Next Day

Black Opal had disappeared, which was normal, and that meant Lunaria was gone, too. That meant I still didn’t know what she looked like... But it also meant it was free and clear to go on a shopping trip.

“You’ll need armor and gems and-” Elreid, bless her, was rattling off the many things she wanted me to get. The whole nine yards.

It was cute.

But I didn’t have any gold with me.

“I don’t have any money. Well, I mean, I do, but it’s with someone who isn’t here.” “Here” being Lagendia, of course.

“Oh, that’s no problem! Just send them a mail with a letter attached. So they can reply. And if you have a lot of things to collect from them, send-” She dug around in the pouch at her hip, pulling out a little blue stamp. “one of these! Here, take it. Any friend of Alina’s is a friend of ours.”

She walked me to the mailbox at the sound end of the village, since I was hesitant to go toward the north. Lunaria being there and all.

Zevran,

So, if this works, that would be crazy. I’m not home or in Thedas. I’m, well, actually, I guess I am home... I’m in a land called Lagendia, and I’ve been told it’s where I’m originally from. It’s so weird. Alina told me it’s a land that worships a goddess that was poisoned by her sister out of jealousy, and that the goddess is asleep. They believe this place exists because she dreamed it into existence. It sounds kind of sad, really. To believe that you’re just a dream in someone else’s mind.

I don’t know. Maybe I’m being too... judgmental? Is that the word?

Well, anyway. I hope this really does reach you, for multiple reasons. It would be nice to be in touch with you directly. That would be awesome. But also because I could use a little gold. Everything is pretty cheap here, much like the lower end of things in Thedas. And it runs with a copper and gold system, so thankfully that’s familiar.

If you want to send more than just money, here’s a stamp. I’m not sure what exactly it does, but apparently it lets you send actual things in the letter. I don’t know how. Magic, I guess.

I hope you’re doing well! Please tell me everything that I’ve missed and that you didn’t want to share with Alina! How are the recruits doing? How are the members doing? How’s the robot girl doing?? I hope no one’s been too rude to her, since it’s clear by now that she doesn’t age.

I’m going to wrap it up now. Think I’ve rambled on long enough. Hah...

I really hope this reaches you. I’ve missed you.

Anastasia

“There.” I folded the paper, tucking it, the stamp, and another envelope into the envelope.

Then, she showed me how to mail it off. Which wasn’t that difficult, you just put it in the mailbox, but you had to be thinking about the person if it was the first time you were sending them mail. She closed the mailbox, barely waiting even a second before opening it back up and-

The letter was gone.

“All done! It’s sent off now. When you get a letter, you’ll know. There will be a hologram of a letter over the mailbox that only you can see.”

“That’s pretty advanced.”

“Magic.” A shrug, a smile. “I don’t pretend to know how it works, but it is pretty cool, right?”

“Definitely.”

And such a breath of fresh air, a drastic difference from how mages had to live in Thedas.

We waited a half an hour, her explaining to me how crests worked. You held them and visualized bonding with them. You could bond with up to eight of the battle-type ones, while you could only bond with four attack-based. The attack ones complimented attacks you learned from your particular specialization, the skills you acquired through the training. So, it seemed that they were set in what you could do, what you could use them for.

Time to learn a whole new way to fight, I guess.

“And then there’s the dragon gems, but we won’t get access to those until after our next specialization.”

“There’s another one?” Alina must have said something to them about me between our talk and this morning, because my not knowing all of this already hadn’t been a blip on the radar. Elreid had quickly swooped in and taken me under her wing, leading me here and there, explaining every little thing.

I liked her.

“Yep! It’s the last one. Well, until you go through your Awakening.”

“What’s that?” I raised an eyebrow, curious. Just like I was about everything else she’d said thus far.

“I’m not really sure. I’ve only heard rumors about it, really, but apparently it’s a very specialized training you undergo to make certain skills and attacks better. Leaps and bounds better.”

A bit of movement had me turning my head toward the mailbox, and I realized it was the blinking of a hologram. A little ethereal envelope was floating over it. I blinked.

“Oh? Did you get mail?” She laughed, my expression amusing her.

Quickly, I yanked it open and pulled free the letter that was waiting for me.

“Okay, so. How they work is everything is inside the envelope, right? You just have to put your hand inside it or tip it over and let everything fall out, but if it’s loose coin, that might not be the best option.”

“Right.” I was more invested in what the letter said than what was with it, but I pushed that aside and looked at what was inside.

Three coin purses, all full of gold. Because of course he’d give me too much. There was also my Vigil, along with two regular daggers. More reasonably sized, thankfully. He knew I didn’t like the-they were basically shortswords, in my eyes. Sheaths with them. The belt I’d attached Vigil to.

“How in the world did he fit all of this?” I asked, shaking my head.

“It’s the stamp.” The Lancea said matter-of-factly.

And then, finally, I pulled out the piece of paper. Another folded sheet fell out, fluttering to the ground.

She crouched and picked it up. “Dropped this.”

Tilting my head, curious, I took it. Opened the first one I’d seen.

It’d been surprising for him, my letter appearing out of thin air in front of him. Reminding him of all the times Alina had seemingly fallen from the ceiling.

He was doing well, as were the rest of the Crows. The alliances strengthening with every day that passed, which was an accomplishment, to be sure.

I’d actually caught him mid-exploration of the library. Duncan had just left him but an hour earlier. I made a mental note that our times were synced up. He’d said it was morning, and it was still morning here, too. Maybe not fully synced, down to the second, but it was close enough.

He’d been looking through the well-preserved journal that Duncan had initially talked about as being the document he’d found. The one that had talked about the random bouts of pain I experienced from time to time. Oh, man. That’s right. I hadn’t told anyone about the spirit admitting to it being their fault, that one day. It hadn’t even crossed my mind.

The letter went on to say all the things that Duncan’s had, about the woman to be in her twenties with hair like “a flame that had risen from molten lava.” A cure from a fellow Warden who’d been in line to be a shaman, but his tribe had been attacked and his plans had shifted to joining the Grey Wardens. The woman had stayed with him for several days and when she’d left, she’d been cured. Still no mention of a name, from either the Warden or his patient, which was a little frustrating. I would’ve liked to know who the Warden was.

I only knew that the woman was me. Still. I refused to entertain the notion of anything else. I had yet to hear about anyone else who could just pop in and out, out of nowhere. With red hair. But that would mean I would be with this issue for years. Not something I wanted. And the no-name for the Warden would make the search harder, which is probably why it took me being an adult.

Zevran had wanted to send the journal with everything else, the gold enclosed being a portion of what my earnings as the head of the Crows would’ve been for the month, which he’d been carrying thanks to Alina showing up just before he’d left Antiva and telling him he should take them with him. And she hadn’t said a word to me about it. He’d doubted that Alistair would mind, really, if the journal went to me. For a limited amount of time, of course, but instead, he’d decided to send a note from someone I’d be interested in hearing from. He could always send the journal later.

Who...? Tilting my head, I moved to the other scrap of paper. My eyes widened.

It was a letter from Leliana, detailing her time traveling around Antiva. The foods she’d eaten, the places she’d stayed. The thugs she’d had to teach lessons to. She was trying to find herself and what her place was in the world, and so far, hadn’t had much luck. But she’d been touching lives, being a good influence on people. Making sure she helped at least one person everywhere she went.

And she wanted to know when we would be able to meet up, since she’d heard I was in Antiva but hadn’t managed to find me. Only Zevran. Who’d told her that, if she wanted, he would deliver a letter to me for her.

I smiled to myself. I’d missed her and her talk of fashion. It was nice, hearing about what she was doing. It didn’t escape my notice, however, that there was no mention of Elissa by name. Only as “my companion” every so often, sprinkled through the letter with caution.

“Do you wanna reply to them?” Elreid’s voice broke through my thoughts.

“Hmm? Oh. I do, for one of them at least.”

“Here you go.” She smiled, holding out two more envelopes.

“How much are they?” I asked as I took them. I would have to count out what I had in my coin purses, but I was sure I had enough to pay for them. So she wouldn’t have to be down any coin on my account.

“It’s free to send mail.” A wave of her hand at my words. “It’s the stamps that cost, and they’re only ten gold. Not that that isn’t a lot. I’m... I’m still learning about the weight of money, coming from a wealthy family and all.”

“At least you’re learning.” I murmured, penning the new letter. This one to Leliana. “That’s more than a lot of people from the same background can say.”

A shy, happy smile stretched across her face. “Thanks.”

It made me wonder if she was made fun of for it.

I folded the paper that talked about how much I missed traveling with everyone and that I hoped she and her companion were doing well, touching a little on what was happening now. Not the “I’m in a whole different world” bit, but the “there’s a missing girl, and I’m helping them search for her” part. Tucked it in the envelope and put it in the mailbox. And _whoosh_ it went.

“How much money did you get?” I could see she was already calculating how much everything would cost.

“I would have to count it out, but,” I tugged one open, glancing inside. “it’s all gold. So, a lot, I would imagine.”

“Whoa. That’s definitely more than enough. Since it’s a little village, things here are cheaper. A place for beginners and all. Although, I do know that the seamstresses have a secret stock for people willing to spend money.”

“Lead the way.”

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun! I just love shopping!”

I was dragged around all day. Honestly, I hadn’t thought the little village square could take up so much time, but having to spend literal hours at the seamstress’s while Elreid helped me choose an outfit ended up taking half the day, just about. _Outfit_ , as in just something to wear, not armor. Which, apparently, clothes here were made differently. They were protective the same way armor was. The more money you had, the more variety you had to choose from. And, important for her, the prettier clothes you could get.

It certainly explained why no one I’d seen had been wearing anything that could be thought of as armor.

By the time we were done there, I’d picked something that, according to Elreid, was what a Lancea would wear. An ice blue, three-quarter sleeve turtleneck, tucked into a light grey skirt that didn’t even reach my knees. It stopped, like, two-thirds down the thigh. She assured me I wouldn’t even notice, and that the wind wouldn’t make the skirt fly up. Which hadn’t even been a fear, until she’d brought it up. A slightly darker shade of grey ankle boots with the same light grey as my skirt knee-high socks helped me feel a little better, especially the fact that, with some negotiating, they’d been able to make the boots flat-soled for me. Not that I couldn’t fight in heels, but I just preferred not to. And I hadn’t tried in this life. Didn’t want to hurt myself on accident, make myself a liability.

The ensemble was complete with a pearl bracelet on my right wrist and four bobby pins on either side of my head, holding the sides of my hair back, in the roman numeral for twenty-two. Weirdly enough. The woman had chuckled and refused to answer me when I’d asked why that specifically. She didn’t explain the significance of the bracelet, either. Neither had Elreid. She’d just ooed and awed at it and said I was lucky she’d had it in stock. Guess I would find out on my own.

After that, we’d gone to the crest guy, Bailey. Bought up a good portion of his stock. Most of them were for me, but a couple were for Elreid, as a thanks for helping me out today. I would still be confused about what to do, if not for her.

“So, how do you fight?” She asked me out of the blue, as we made our way toward Corin, the blacksmith.

“I mainly use daggers. Like a rogue.” Did they exist here? Or was it strictly Assassin?

“Oh, like an Assassin.” That answered that. “Have you ever tried a lance? Or a spear? Oo! Or maybe chakram! Like the Kali specialization. Although, I heard you used magic, so maybe a wand and a book.”

“A book?”

“Illaria loves hitting people with her grimoire. Apparently, it’s a Sorceress thing.”

I snorted. The image was too funny.

“I do like magic. Where I’m from, magic isn’t okay to use.”

“Like, you’re persecuted for having it?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve heard stories about places like that.” She shuddered. “I can’t imagine having to go through that. Something that’s so inherently _you_ , that’s a part of you. Having to hide that. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

Her wide eyes caught me off-guard, the tears threatening to spill over in them giving me pause.

It actually had messed me up a little, mentally, hadn’t it? I wondered briefly if that had had anything to do with my magic not working back home... before shaking it off and returning to the present.

“I’m here now, and magic is clearly welcome here. That’s all that matters right now.” I fixed a small smile on my face, hoping it looked genuine.

From the look on her face, she wasn’t convinced. Had the last year dulled my ability to lie? I needed to people more.

“Well, why won’t you try out different weapons? It can be fun!”


	4. Fighting Elena

Obligatory Chapter Heading:  
Chapter 3:

And that’s where the rest of the day was spent, first trying the lance. Then, the spear. I liked that one. The wand made my magic hyper-focused, strengthening it in ways I hadn’t experienced before, through any of my lives. It made it all the more real that I was from Lagendia, which Alina had told me was the updated term for the world. It had used to be Altera, a word I’d heard her use before.  


Next up had been the pair of fans. They’d been a little unwieldly at first, the darkness that flew from them startling me with the first use. I hadn’t missed the looks of surprise on both Elreid and the blacksmith’s faces.  


“Well, I’ll be. You sure you’re not Kali-trained?” Corin stared at me with squinted eyes, rubbing his chin.  


I shook my head.  


He hummed and held out the two chakram. “Give these a spin.”  


Trading them for the fans, I swiped them through the air. A singing came from them, as well as that same darkness, giving me pause. Though the darkness was more subdued, not as vibrant, not flying as far. As if the fans’ energy were meant to be ranged, and the chakrams’ meant more for sticking close to the user.  


“Ana,” I glanced over at the Lancea. “literally spin with them.”  


Another Kali thing, I guessed. Taking a breath, I spun in a circle, my arms moving on their own.  


“I like these.” I murmured, handing them back. Ready for the next thing.  


Longbow, shortbow, and crossbow followed after. I didn’t miss a single shot with them, hitting the bullseye setup just outside the blacksmithy.  


“Honestly, I think you could go a lot o’ ways, girl. Archer, Lancea, Sorceress, Kali. You got talent in all o’ them.”  


“Oh! Something you didn’t try yet, the Assassin.” Turning to the man, she beamed at him. “Can she try some daggers out?”  


He gave me a strange look but nodded and went to retrieve some.  


Nevermind the fact that I had two strapped to my thigh and Vigil dangling from the belt around my waist.  


Taking them, I felt the weight in my hand. Tossed one into the air, catching it easily. Getting familiar with the knife-sized blade. Which I absolutely loved. These were daggers, not those huge things. It made me like this world a little more, that their sizes were in line with my preferences.  


Glancing at the targets I’d used when testing out archery, I heard the murmur of the Well. Mostly talking about how strange this land was and how they, the voices, all liked it. This was how magic used to be, free to have and use without threat of being locked up like an animal.  


I smiled a little, in agreement with what they were saying, and threw the daggers. Bullseye, blades touching as they hit the same target.  


“Wow!”  


The blacksmith had the same surprised look on his face as earlier, closely resembling Elreid’s. “Impressive. Any guild would be lucky to have you.” A moment’s pause, while he rubbed his chin again. “You take your time, decide what you want. They’ll all be here,” A wave of his hand toward where he’d returned the weapons. “when you figure it out.”  


“Thank you.” I nodded slowly, eyeing them all. Particularly interested in the spear and the chakram. “I will.”

A Week Later  


Dawn raced forward, her mechanical arm dragging the giant knuckle glove she wore across the ground. Leaping up from the sprint, she slammed that fist down on the grouped up goblins. They all disintegrated.  


Something I’d learned, Alina filling me in on the workings of this world, was that when certain races died, they turned to ash and blew away with the breeze. Returning to the world that way. But not all of those races. Like, some goblins didn’t. Ogres were fifty-fifty. Humans still left corpses. Elves, it was a little hazy. Some said they became trees, while others said they simply decomposed so quickly that they seemed to melt into the earth. But, for certain, they were born from a tree. The mother tree. I’d thought about asking Aedethali, but I hadn’t wanted to be rude.  


Illaria summoned little black orbs, sending them out in a spiral around our group. Mini black holes, it turned out. They held a vast majority of the rest of the goblins in place, all of them struggling to get out of the gravitational pulls. To no avail.  


Strangely, they didn’t seem to affect us. Liam and Elreid making quick work of the beasties between the two of them. His longsword and her lance were moving like they were dancing. Like it was no sweat.  


I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about the lance as a weapon. The way she wielded it, I wanted to give it a go.  


And then there was the Kali, Zofya. She was actually dancing-shimmying and shaking, summoning spirits with her moves. Singing and chanting, whirling around with those bladed fans. Interchanging them with chakrams with practiced ease.  


Alina had said that she’d trained in both from a young age and had forgone settling on one or the other, when it came to choosing a specialization. She’d been so determined to learn both that, well, she had.  


I dodged to the side, throwing two daggers at the-I’d learned that dark elves were a thing and that they were not the same as regular elves. They were tainted in some way and cut off from the mother tree-dark elf that had darted toward me.  


The others had gone a different route, the group splitting up to try to stop the queen of dark elves, Elena, from poisoning the water supply of Calderock. Along the way, we were picking up wood and parts from the big airship that had been damaged. A fetch quest alongside a life-threatening quest. Crazy, but these people were dedicated, and it had made me want to join them.  


They’d encountered Velskud and Rose, watched them disappear over the cliff face without any way of stopping them. They’d been attacked by harpies, who’d ignored the man in favor of the weaker do-gooders.  


“There she is!” Illaria shouted, drawing our attention to the queen.  


She was holding a dark crystal in her hands, cackling maniacally. “You’re too late!” Turning her head, she spoke to the ogres standing by the drop-off. “Dump the poison!”  


Taking a deep breath, I centered myself and-  


Took a single step, zooming forward. Standing in front of the huge creature, barely even a second passing, Vigil already out. Already sinking into its leg. Using the hilt as leverage, I thrust myself up into the air and came down on its back. Slid another blade into its skull. The ogre went down without knowing what had happened to him. As it turned to ash, I landed nimbly on my feet, ready to defend the poison vats.  


While they took care of the goblins and dark elves, I fought against Elena, who was trying to set off the vats herself.  


“Just...! Die...! Why won’t you just die?!” Each word was punctuated by a swipe of her abnormally large clawed hand.  


An idea formed in my head, and I glanced at the vats. One of them was perched precariously, angled away from the cliff face. If I could just get her to bump it...  


After a couple minutes, I managed to do just that. Dodging out of the way of the splash, it fell. Washed over the dark elf, who screamed in agony and anger. And was still coming at me. I’d just made her poisonous. That’s the only thing I’d done. Ugh. I idly wondered what kind of poison it was, that it would have that kind of outcome.  


Something, a blur of motion, darted past me. Throwing itself at her. A little dog. Grandpa Goblin’s dog? Sure enough, the hobgoblin form of Grandpa, a hobgoblin, appeared, roaring angrily. Running for the queen. She tried to escape him, but to no avail. He cornered her on the other side of the little peninsula, the side that overlooked jagged rock. No water. Just a straight fall to death. He grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight vice, and together they fell. To ensure she couldn’t change any other goblins, he’d sacrificed himself...  


The others were too stunned by the outcome of it all, unable to comprehend what had just happened, to check. So, I did. I reluctantly made my way to the edge and leaned over, looking. Sure enough, they were both there, at the bottom. Broken.  


“She won’t torture anyone else, ever again.” I said, straightening.  


“That’s... I know I should be happy, but...”  


Liam nodded, Zofya silently wrapping an arm around Elreid’s shoulders, his voice a little husky. “I know.”  


They’d known the goblin, back when he was still just a goblin, who’d called himself “Grandpa Goblin” for a few weeks, trying to help him find his granddaughter, whose name was Gosuk. An uneventful search, yielding no concrete clues, until something had turned up that she was over at the Black Mountain Path, near Saints Haven. Across the ocean, which was only accessible via flying ship. Which was just one of many reasons to get it fixed asap.  


Grandpa Goblin had been taken and turned against his will into a hobgoblin, which was a long and torturous process None of the goblins that had gone through it had retained any sort of sanity or memory of their lives from before the ordeal. Not one of them, until him. He’d managed to somehow still be himself, holding back from attacking the group on sight. And today, he’d proven that, in the worst way possible.  


I’d only met him four days ago, but I’d grown to like him. I was sad he was gone...  


“Sweet thing.” Zofya was crouched, murmuring to the dog, who was whining. Shaking and shivering. It knew something was wrong. “Do you want to come with us awhile?”  


It seemed to consider the offer, keen eyes scanning the lot of us, before jumping into her arms and nuzzling into her. Hiding from the reality of the situation. Or was I projecting? Either way, we’d lost a friend and gained a companion.  


“What do we do with these?” Illaria pointed over at the two still-standing vats of poison.  


“We can tell Deckard about them.” Liam glanced between everyone. “Someone stays here to make sure nothing happens, and the rest of us go back to town. Maybe run into the others on the way there.”  


No one said anything for several minutes, so I raised my hand. “I can stay behind.”  


He nodded resolutely, motioning toward where we’d come. “Alright. Either one of us will be back or Deckard, whoever gets here first.”  


“Right.”  


Alone with my thoughts, checking the area to make sure I wouldn’t be caught by surprise from any unknown entrances, I wondered how the others had fared. If they’d found the rest of the parts from the ship or how that Orc Kim guy was doing. An, obviously, orc that had taken a liking to Zofya and had taken to sending her letters, calling her his rival. The most recent one calling her out to fight him yesterday at Prayer’s Rest. To which she’d gone, along with Aedethali and Black Opal, to fight him. To quiet him once and for all, about being rivals. She’d soundly defeated him, while her friends had stood by and kept watch to make sure that nothing interfered with the fight, per her request.  


A rustle from the brush caught my attention as Deckard, the man you had to go to in Calderock for guild-related things such as making one or appointing a new leader, stepped out. Followed by a few guards.  


“Ah! There you are!” His voice bellowed out, jovial in tone. I liked him, because he was always in a good mood. Always happy to see you. “Thank you for helping us with this!”  


I gave him a sad smile as they all approached. “It wasn’t a problem. Just wish we didn’t have to lose Grandpa.”  


“So I heard. We’ll have a proper funeral for him, don’t you worry.” It was a worry, since he was a goblin turned hobgoblin, so it was reassuring. He wouldn’t be forgotten, swept under the rug somewhere. “We could use more adventurers like you lot. I already spoke to your friends about it, a little over a week ago, but maybe you should join a guild. There’s plenty of openings, and I’m sure the bigger ones would fight over each and every one of you! You’d have your picking, of that, I’m sure!”  


I hummed softly, wondering what joining a guild would even entail.  


“Just give it some thought.”  


“Will do.”  


“Good. Now, why don’t you head on back, and we’ll deal with the cleanup. We’ll see if we can bring Grandpa back with us, too, yeah?” Deckard’s large hand clapped my shoulder in a reassuring way.  


“Okay. Thanks.”  


I made it back to town, back to where the others usually hung out, without incident.  


“’M back.” I spoke up when I was within a few feet of them.  


“Ana!” Alina smiled.  


Most of them did, actually, and I felt something swell in my chest. A warmth that I hadn’t felt since returning home from Thedas. I’d forgotten what it was like to have people that liked having me around. People that I could maybe call friends.


	5. Spilling the Details

Obligatory Chapter Heading:  
Chapter 4:

A Few Hours Later  


Grandpa Goblin’s funeral had been a huge affair, surprisingly. Everyone in the village had turned out for it, all of them having known him throughout the years he’d called the ruins outside the limits home.  


A nice little headstone, “Grandpa” chiseled on it, stood tall in the graveyard when it was all over. The dirt in front of it freshly packed.  


The blacksmith had hailed me when everyone started dispersing, motioning for me to join him as he walked back toward his forge.  


“A shame. A damn shame. He was something else, that one.”  


“Yeah...”  


“Here we are.” His voice was quiet as he sat on his bench. Motioned toward a long box with a bow wrapped around it. “Take that. ‘S for you.”  


I knew without opening it that it was a spear. “How much.”  


“Nah. Free of charge, for all the good you’ve done in this little village with your friends. And for him.”  


“Thank you.” A whisper was all I could manage.  


I picked up the gift and made my way back to where I was staying with the others. Opening it, with an audience of the girls and Zethial, I pulled out the spear and a pair of chakram. He’d gone ahead and given me both, allowing me the chance to get used to both of them. Figure out which one I liked more.  


How kind of him.  


Wiping my eyes as discreetly as I could, I felt an arm around my shoulders. Alina was leaning against me, side-hugging me to her. A sad smile on her face.  


“That’s awesome.” The Lancea murmured, tracing a finger down the length of the spear. “I prefer the spear over the lance, myself. Which my cousins all thought was funny, being Lancea-trained and all, like the rest of them. “Lance” is in the name, but I didn’t take to it very well.”  


“I like it better, too, what little time I spent trying it out.” We shared a smile.  


“Can I...” Zofya spoke up, hesitant. “Can I watch you use the chakram? I haven’t met anyone who wasn’t an Ancient, that could wield them properly.”  


“Of course.”  


Standing, I took up the chakram and centered myself. Let my body act on its own, without interference from my head, which tended to overthink. As one does. Starting out as a little spin, I felt my body move into a dance that I didn’t know. Watched the dark streaks fly from the ends of the weapons.  


“That’s... Are you an Ancient, like me? Like Rose? It would explain a lot.” She was on her hands and knees, leaning forward with an awestruck expression on her usually blank face.  


“I... I don’t have a lot of memories.” It wasn’t a lie, technically. I was human in this life, but I had been born here. There was no telling. And the fact that I was myself throughout many different lives, never changing and always having my magics, my visions... That had to mean something, right? A glance at Alina, and I opened my mouth again. Explaining that fact.  


By the time I was done, it felt like all the air in the room had left.  


“Oh, wow. So, you could be an Ancient. If you don’t remember, that means it could be true.”  


“That sounds so sad.” Alina frowned, shaking her head. I’d never explained it all to her before, so she was hearing it for the first time, like everyone else.  


“That’s why Black Opal gets all spazzy whenever you get too close to the Cristal Stream path.” Elreid nodded to herself, like she was a great detective and had solved a puzzle.  


Aedethali put a hand on my arm. “I would feel so lost, if I could not go home.” It made me wonder how trying this time had been for her. With the airship down, she couldn’t travel back. “You are here now, and that is what matters. I am glad to know you.”  


Her words caught me off-guard, so genuine and heartfelt.  


“I’m glad to know you, too. All of you. So far, I like it here.”  


“How long ago, do you think, were you born here?” The Kali was watching me with eyes narrowed in deep thought. Connecting dots in her mind.  


“I’m not sure. It felt like it was a long, long time ago. Hundreds of years, maybe?”  


“The Ancients were still around, in large number, back then. And Rose looks human, even though she’s an Ancient, too. There are... were... Ancients who looked more human than Ancient, so there’s a good chance you are, too.”  


I opened my mouth, about to ask what had happened to the other Ancients, but-  


“And... the Spirit of Death...” Zethial spoke up for the first time, his words halting. “Was that your first time, meeting her?”  


“As far as I know, yeah.” I gave a helpless shrug, settling down next to Alina again.  


“I’ve read a lot about the Dark Priestesses. Being a Cleric, it’s my job to know about them and other beings like them.” His voice was soft, and I was hanging on his every word. We all were. “From my studies, I can tell you the Spirit of Death grants a new beginning and, sometimes, they come with power. If you cannot control that power, you become a monster. Driven mad. Murderous.”  


“Oh, wow. Well. I didn’t accept any deals or anything. Haven’t discovered any abilities that I didn’t already have, prior to being here. If anything, my magic is stronger, but I think that’s just because this is where it’s from. If that makes sense?” It came out as a question, seeking assurance that I wasn’t reading too much into it.  


“It does.” The elf nodded emphatically. “You are finally in the world from which you originated, and your magic is being amplified by that. Right, Illaria?”  


“Yep. Definitely. I can’t imagine how difficult it was on your body, to call on magic from Lagendia and carry it into a whole different world. That must have been super hard.”  


“I... never thought about that, actually.”  


“I mean, it makes sense, yeah?” She was deep in thought. Chin in hand, finger tapping said chin. “Of course, it would be a watered down version outside of Lagendia. Because our magic comes from the Goddess. So, it would be like putting fuel in a fire, coming here.”

The Next Day  


The airship was repaired and ready for its maiden voyage. Which we were to take, at the behest of that Argenta girl that Alina had told me about.  


As I was walking toward it, my eyes landed on a hooded figure. Wearing a bright red, long peacoat-like cloak, hood up, was a silver-haired girl. No older than sixteen, if I had to guess. I stopped short. Not from any of that, but because I could see a large silver dragon around her, as if the spirit of one was behind her. Eyes moving with hers, watching everything for the slightest sign that something was wrong.  


“Ana?” Alina asked, waving a hand in front of my face.  


“Can you see that?” I motioned toward the dragon.  


“See... Argenta? Yeah?”  


I tore my gaze away, shifting my wide eyes to the robot. “No. The dragon spirit... thing... that’s behind her.”  


“Whaaaaaaa?? No!!” Rubbing her eyes, she turned to stare hard at the figure. Shaking her head. “No. Are you... That’s what you see?!”  


“Yeah...”  


“And you didn’t see something like that with Velskud, in the vision you had of him?”  


“No.”  


A hum, and she was typing something into that console she carried. She let out a sound of frustration when nothing came up. Gave a shrug. “Maybe it’s how your visions work? Describe the dragon to me.”  


So, I did. Large, slender. Wings folded at its sides. Standing sentinel, eyes just watching everything. The color of the scales, how the light bounced off them in little rainbows.  


Her eyes were saucers by the time I’d finished. “That’s what she looks like as a dragon, alright. Man. You’re crazy.”  


“What do you mean?” I wasn’t offended, still confused about why I was seeing her the way I was.  


“It’s not in the timeline at all, anyone being able to see dragons like that. I wonder if you’ll see them all? Hmm. Only one way to test it! Soon, we’ll meet Geraint, and you’ll be able to meet Velskud. I know he escaped,” A breath of relief left her when she said that. “but we’ll get to see him again really soon.”  


“How is this working?” I asked, quieter now. Lowering my voice to almost a whisper. “Are we actively sabotaging the others’ attempts at killing him? What are we doing?”  


“We... Thank you.” A beaming smile. “I’m not going to stop them from trying. Well, not until something in the timeline tells me he dies. Then, I’ll simply stop that from happening.”  


“Let me know, okay? If there’s anything I can do. You’ve helped me more than enough, a few of those times without any explanation, so it’s the least I can do.”  


“Guys! He’s getting ready to take off! C’mon!” Elreid called out, leaning out of one of the windows. Waving at us to hurry up.  


With the keen eyes of the dragon on us, we scurried onboard.

Two Days Later  


The flight had been long, several hours of being cooped up making the others go a little stir-crazy. It was my first time on something that flew, having never been on a plane before either, so I was enraptured by the sights out the windows. Darting from side to side, unable to stay in my seat. I wanted to see it all, every little thing, from up here. It was breathtaking.  


And I’d had to do something, to keep from demanding to know what the dragon’s problem was. She’d stared at me almost the entire trip. Hadn’t let me out of her sight, even after we’d landed. Not until she’d left us. What was her issue?  


I was still thinking about it, and we’d been here for almost three days. It was getting close to midnight, the lights in the castle near blinding after coming in from the dark night outside.  


When we’d first entered, two days ago, it was... interesting. King Cassius was interesting. To say the least. A stuttering, unassuming mess of a preteen boy. Clearly sickly and, as a byproduct, a little too coddled. Not what I’d expected to be sitting on the throne. He’d been king for a handful of years already. And hadn’t changed at all from it.  


For some reason, it’d made me miss Alistair. And I’d had to remind myself not to judge so quickly.  


Now, Aedethali, Dawn, Zethial, and I all stood before General Douglas, having just come back from dealing with the issues at the mines. Gnolls, goblins, and orcs had suddenly started appearing, swarming up from deep within, killing a few of the miners while they fled. It hadn’t been too difficult. Pausing for a moment to grab one of the bombs they’d brought with them apparently, taking it from one of the many crates we’d stumbled upon. It felt more like the whole thing had been planned, than that it had happened by chance.  


Liam, Illaria, Elreid, and Alina were still out on a mission over at the dry spring outside the city limits.  


Black Opal was MIA again. Lunaria gone, too, according to Illaria. I still had yet to see her, much to my frustration. How was I supposed to avoid her, if I didn’t know what she looked like?  


Zofya was spending time with Eltia, over in the corner of the city where the class trainers lived. She liked hearing them talk about the missions they’d been on throughout their lives, and honestly I wondered if the lot of them ever slept. They were always standing or sitting in front of their homes. It hadn’t been long since we’d arrived, but they were always there.  


“There is something else.” The hesitance in the man’s voice snapped me from my thoughts. “But I am loath to send you. A detachment of trained soldiers was all but wiped out-”  


“With all due respect, General,” A voice spoke up behind us. “I believe they’re more than capable. You forget, soldiers are trained to go up against humanoid opponents, not giants. I feel this group, should they think seriously on who goes, discuss pros and cons, will be a good fit for the mission.”  


Walking around us, stepping up into the General’s view, was a teenage girl that looked like she could be Elreid’s twin. Long brown hair in a high ponytail, draped over the same shoulder the Lancea’s was, eyes a deep, dark blue. Those were the only visual differences, their faces carbon copies. One of the many Justitias, I guessed, a cousin to ours.  


“If they have you speaking for their abilities, then I will have to agree.” Pulling a few papers from his satchel, he held them out to her. “There’s a cyclops terrorizing people in the Withered Leaves Forest, and we need it taken care of before more people get killed. We’ve halted travel through the area, but the last thing we need is the creature leaving the area in search of more...” A pause, his expression darkening. “game for it to hunt.”  


“Game” meaning... people. Nice.  


“Give us a week.” She was speaking for us, and no one stopped her. There was so much authority in her voice, even I didn’t want to question her.  


Orders in hand, she led us from the castle, heading toward the trainers’ section of town.  


“Sorry to just jump in like that.” The girl smiled apologetically as we walked. “Eltia told me you guys might be returning soon from the mines, and I’d just gotten done with my work. I wanted to see the people Elreid was traveling with.”  


“It’s after midnight. You were still working on something this late at night?!” Dawn’s mouth was agape at the thought. “That’s crazy! You need a new boss.”  


“I work for the castle.” A light laugh. “The Royal Sorceress, Kayleen, can only do so much. When she can’t do something, that’s where I come in. It really gets under her skin, when she has to admit defeat, but she swallows her pride for the good of the kingdom. Which I can’t say about a lot of Sorceresses.”  


“You’re a Sorceress?” It sounded like Zethial hadn’t meant it to be a question, turning into one at the last second.  


We moved down the long staircase, coming into view of the little circus at the outskirts of the trainers’ portion.  


“You could say that. I use magic, but I can also heal. Without any ties to the Goddess. I’m not traditionally trained to be a Cleric or anything, I just have the ability inherently.”  


“That’s... amazing.”  


The anxious expression on her face relaxed into a smile. Her eyes darted over to me, and I felt there was more to the action than her eyes just wandering.  


“It’s nothing, just the way I am. Eltia!” She ran forward, breaking off from us for a minute, to go give the other girl a big hug.  


“You guys act like you haven’t seen me for years.”  


“To be fair-”  


“Hush.” Eltia waved her off, her face red. “I’m happy to see you, too.”


	6. The Cyclops

Obligatory Chapter Heading:  
Chapter 5:

Five Days Later  


Over the last week, we’d still been partaking in missions, helping out where we could. Spending the time we weren’t busy, going over a map and figuring out where best to tackle the cyclops issue. Settling on backing it into a corner, by pinning it at the end of the forest path, where it was cut off by trees too thick for it to go through easily.  


During that time, we’d come across Orc Kim several times, having followed us across the ocean. Always challenging Zofya to a fight, trying to prove he was stronger than her. I still didn’t understand why he was fixated on her, specifically, when there were so many in our group that were just as strong as her. Albeit in different ways. I mean, Liam was physically stronger than all of us. It made me wonder what it was about her, or if she was just the first one he’d seen, thus latching onto her. The last time we saw him, he’d stumbled off, proclaiming he’d gone easy on her and he’d beat her next time. You know, the usual.  


Today... Everything that could go wrong, was. Out of the ten of us, the only ones still standing were Dawn, thanks to a last second heal from Zethial before he went down, Aedethali, and myself. Elreid, Liam, Illaria, Alina, Black Opal, Zofya and Zethial were all unconscious... or worse. None of us could take the time to check, fighting for our lives against this fucking cyclops. Every time we thought we were close to taking it down, it would start raging all over again. Gaining back whatever health we’d managed to whittle down. None of us knew how it was doing it, just that we were all in danger of dying if we didn’t figure it out.  


One of its arms raised up, the one with the club, and brought the giant stick down toward Aedethali. I magic-stepped over to her, shoving her out of the way and taking the hit myself. My vision went dark and, before I passed out, I felt the pain of many broken bones.  


Silence all around, nothing but darkness. I pushed myself to my feet, glancing this way and that, trying to figure out which way to go. I felt it, deep in my soul, that staying where I was would mean death, no matter what. Taking off running forward, I ran and ran.  


Without light, it felt like I hadn’t moved from where I’d started, and I was beginning to panic. My chest tightening, a knot forming in my stomach.  


“I can give you another chance.” The voice, familiar, came from in front of me.  


Slowly, as if it was forming before my eyes this very moment, I saw the spotlight. Trained on the Spirit of Death. I carefully walked forward, the anxiety easing with each step.  


“I can give you another chance.” She repeated when I stood in front of her.  


“How?”  


“I choose whether or not you live or die. Your friends, as well. I know you have the power to move through time, much like the other one.” Her head tilted slightly to the side, chin raised. Reminiscent of a noble looking down on someone. “Under other circumstances, I would not let you use this power. However, among the fallen are ones I wish to use for my own purposes in the future. They cannot do that, if they are dead. So, Anastasia, will you use this power to save them?”  


The light went out, shrouding me in darkness again, and I knew she was gone.  


Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and searched inside myself. Looking for that power, the one that had taken so long to master back in Thedas. Surprisingly, it came easily, not even a whole minute passing before I’d gathered it.

Earlier  


My eyes opening, I found myself standing by Stella, the Sorceress trainer. Eltia looked up in surprise.  


“Wh- Didn’t you guys just leave, to go fight the cyclops?”  


Ah, so it was earlier in the day.  


“Where’s Merritt?” I was primed to take off the moment she responded.  


“At the castle, I think. Talking to Lady Lena.”  


I’d barely heard the second part-I was already running.  


Sure enough, she was there, talking with the red-haired girl who wore all white. Floor-length gown, stilettos, and tights. Everything a pure white.  


“Please. No one is any the wiser about it. I’m-”  


I cut off Lena, panting from how hard I’d pushed myself to get here. “Merritt, we need your help.”  


“What... I thought you and the others had left by now.” Her eyes searched my face intently.  


“We did. Pretend I’m Black Opal.” I hadn’t been sure how to explain it, but that was the right thing to say.  


She smiled apologetically at the other girl, grabbing my wrist and dragging me from the castle. “What happened?”  


While we power walked toward the Black Mountain foothills, I filled her in.  


“The Spirit of Death gave us another chance...” A hum left her as she fell into thought.  


Quickly, we reached the fight. And there I was, in the thick of it with everyone else.  


“I’ve only seen myself once before. It’s still weird.” I muttered to myself.  


“Okay, I think I know why he regenerates.” She pointed at the bolts sticking out of either side of the creature’s head. “They glow and, when they do, there’s a visible pulse of energy. We need to find the source of that and take it out.”  


We split off, me calling the shadows to myself and turning invisible, her easily sneaking along the edge of the clearing without getting anyone’s attention. I went right, she went left. She’d called it right, there was a glowing rock that gave off regular pulses. When I was close enough to reach out and touch it, bird people and goblins jumped out. A flimsy ambush, at best.  


Deciding to test out the chakram in battle for the first time, I darted this way and that, the little bursts of darkness killing the goblins off. Being so small, they couldn’t get out of the way quick enough. Something tickled at the back of my mind, and I heard the Well. All voicing the same thing, a song. Letting them speak through me, I watched as something took form in front of me, between me and the remaining bird people.  


A spectral woman, much like what Zofya summoned to aid us in fights, raising her fist into the air. A large, ghostly fist rose from the ground beneath the grouped up bird people, and I watched them disintegrate from the hit.  


The stone’s glow dulled, getting dimmer and dimmer, until the light was snuffed out.  


Rushing back toward the mouth of the alcove, I watched myself take the cyclops’ attack meant for the elf and vanish. For a moment, the cyclops was distracted, looking over its club. Like I was clinging to it or something.  


At the same time he realized I wasn’t anywhere near the weapon, that I’d literally just disappeared before his very eyes, the bolts’ glow went out. Merritt had been successful, as well. Glancing across the space between us, I saw her standing at the edge of the field. She nodded to me, and we ran into the fray, taking the people still standing by surprise.  


“Aed, Dawn, he’s vulnerable now! We’ve got this!” I shouted out, throwing a dagger as the cyclops reached out its free hand toward the Dromaji.  


The blade sunk into the hilt, and his eyes were on me again, expression confused. He was still trying to figure out how I’d gotten from point a to point b, I imagined. It was just enough for me to pull out my spear and, launching myself into the air, stab it into the belly. Using the momentum to tear through the thick skin as I fell. Dawn ran up and punched behind one of his knees, knocking him to the ground with a roar. Aedethali loosed an arrow into his eye, making me wince a little seeing it, and he went still. Faded from existence after a short moment of silence.  


Breathing a sigh of relief, I looked back at the fallen and realized almost everyone was up on their feet again, looking more than a little ragged. Everyone but Zofya, who Merritt was kneeling over, a glassy look on her face. Tears falling down her cheeks.  


No. The Spirit of Death had said I could save everyone... No, she’d said I could have a second chance, that was all... Maybe... she would send the Kali back to us? She’d said she had the power to determine who lived or died.  


Slowly, Zofya’s form started turning to ash, floating away on the breeze, and we were left staring at an empty space on the ground. The hope I’d held died.  


“I couldn’t... I’m so sorry...” Arms around her middle, Merritt fell to her knees.  


Elreid was the first to reach her, everyone making their way over. Standing around her, none of us said another word. All too shell-shocked that one of us had actually died.


	7. Distractions

Obligatory Chapter Heading:  
Chapter 6:

Merritt was the first to snap out of it, after an eternity had passed, slapping her cheeks before getting to her feet. She walked away, back the way we’d come. Glanced over her shoulder and told us to hurry up, that we needed to let the General know we’d taken care of the cyclops. That it wouldn’t hurt anyone else.  


“I’m sorry.” General Douglas looked pained, the sadness on our behalf clear on his face.  


Zethial and I had been the only ones able to pull ourselves together enough to join Merritt in the castle.  


“The others may need time, before they’ll be willing to help with more dangerous missions. I, however, could use the distraction. So, if anything comes up, let me know.”  


I murmured that I felt the same, and the three of us left.  


When we got back to Merritt’s house, where we’d switched to staying, she broke off. Going to her own room. I watched the cleric go to the room he was sharing with Liam and Opal, wondering how the two of them must be feeling.  


Three healers in the group, and not one of us could save her...  


I felt like absolute shit, and I was more than eager for there to be another mission soon. Very soon. Or I would drown in the thoughts in my head, and I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to hear the sobs, see the look on the older girl’s face when she realized Zofya wasn’t... We’d been laughing just this morning, and now she was gone. How? I finally understood why people said things like that, that they’d just talked to them and how could they be gone. I got it. Wish I didn’t, but I did.  


I tried and I tried. I willed and I willed. But... I couldn’t travel back in time. I’d thought, since I was from Lagendia, surely that would mean all my magic would be heightened. Strengthened. I couldn’t even feel it there, in the pit of my stomach. Like it was just gone, as if I’d never had the ability in the first place.  


According to Black Opal when I asked, it was Lunaria who was the time traveler, not him. And she couldn’t control it, so there was no telling if they’d be able to go back to warn anyone, even if she was willing.  


I wanted, needed, to know how you came back from someone you caring about dying in front of you. In this life, I hadn’t experienced that. To be honest, I hadn’t gone through it in several lifetimes. I didn’t know how to take it. How to react. What to do.  


Her dog, Grandpa Goblin’s dog... keened for hours, sitting on her bedding. He knew, somehow, that she wasn’t coming back. After what felt like an eternity had passed, all of us in our beds, he finally quieted. Whether he’d fallen asleep or had lost his voice, I wasn’t sure, and the silence somehow sounded sadder...  


I couldn’t asleep, just tossing and turning for hours, Alina climbing into bed with me even though she didn’t sleep. Eventually, all of us girls found ourselves in the living room. Blankets and pillows in hand. We made a little nest and slept together. The dog joined in, burying his face in Elreid’s stomach, and our little pile shifted to center around them.  


In the morning, we discovered the boys had come out, as well. I didn’t know if one of the other girls had gone to them, to invite them, or if they’d all been awake and heard us. No matter how it came to be, we were all there, and it helped. A little, but it helped.

A Week Later  


Merritt came back from the castle with a stack of papers in hand, a tired smile on her face. None of us had been sleeping well, least of all her. She’d been going up there every day, bringing back mission after mission from the General, from Duke Stuart, Sorceress Kayleen, even the Bishop Ignacio. Who she couldn’t stand. Neither her nor Elreid trusted him. I didn’t either. There was just something about him. I hadn’t asked Alina yet, if there was something he did in the future that would warrant my feelings, but I knew he wasn’t a good guy.  


“Okay. We’ve got a few things we can do. There’s a problem with undead goblins at the dry spring. Sightings of shadow creatures at the abandoned village out in the foothills. It normally wouldn’t be a problem, but they want to try to reclaim the land. Rebuild and all that.” Her tone was even, if a little dead inside. Much like how we were all feeling still. “Also, Elreid, Lady Lena was asking about you. She wanted to speak to you as soon as possible.”  


Lena probably wanted to make sure her new friend was okay. They’d met the day we’d gotten to Saints Haven and had hit it off rather well.  


“Huh? Oh... I’ll go there... at some point...”  


She hadn’t left the house, one of the few who had said no to all the missions we’d taken to distract ourselves. Her, Alina, and Black Opal. They hadn’t left the house all week, and I honestly didn’t expect the Lancea to any time soon. Regardless if it was Lady Lena.  


We started dividing up into teams, to deal with the various missions quicker, and the spirit woke up. Along with that familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach, that I needed to do something. Something that wasn’t this.  


Don’t go with them.  


Why not? I kept my features blank, fighting a frown.  


I don’t know. I feel...  


The Well took the opportunity to speak, when she paused, all the voices blending into one. Something that hadn’t happened in a while.  


Listen to the spirit. Something else, there’s something else you need to do. Along the path.  


The path? What path? But the feeling grew, an invisible tugging sensation, pulling me toward the foothills.  


It used to be the “Black Mountain Path,” before it came to be known as the “foothills.”  


That was... right. And it had been forever ago that they’d changed it. I remembered, before I’d fled from Lunaria that time, all those hundreds of years ago. It had been the “path.” Wait, did the Well have access to those memories? Could it help me unlock them, seeing as how I was having a difficult time recalling things from so long ago?  


Giving myself a mental shake, I pushed that thought aside for later consideration. This wasn’t the time.  


“I think I’ll sit this one out, you guys.” I gave an apologetic smile, not missing how Alina’s head snapped around to look at me.  


“You sure?”  


A nod.  


“Alright. Everyone else ready?”  


With that, the others left. I didn’t wait around for my best friend to go all “twenty questions” on me, calling the shadows to me and becoming invisible. Following the pull.  


My feet carried me toward the Black Lord’s Overkeep, a place that the black dragon from fifty years ago had built. Back when he’d been trying to invade Saints Haven and overthrow the king at the time. After he’d been defeated, a new black dragon had come about. Velskud. Alina had told me it was an accident, that he hadn’t meant for it to happen. Holding a dragon gem sometimes resulted in absorbing it, is all. You couldn’t fight against it.  


Stealthing my way through the hordes of creatures-goblins, ogres, gnolls, those strange ones they called trolls-I found myself at the center of the area. Where would normally be a bigger bad guy, there was a corpse that had started turning to ash. Someone had already dealt with it.  


A glance around, and I spied Argenta, along with a man wearing gold and white. A scar across one eye, golden blonde hair falling down to his shoulders. A golden dragon spirit standing over him. It wasn’t just a dragon, the facial features resembled a lion. The sight of it struck me speechless.  


Geraint, the swordsman. The gold dragon.  


“You.” The silver dragon stormed over to me, grabbing my wrist. Her face close enough to kiss, she hissed. “What are you doing here?”  


It took me a moment to realize that in my surprise, I’d dropped invisibility.  


“Argenta.” The melodic, soothing voice came from the man, who was approaching leisurely. “Humans are fragile, be careful you don’t hurt her.”  


He gently pried her hand from my arm, giving me a soft smile.  


I just blinked. Still staring.  


“Why are you just gawking like that?” She huffed, crossing her arms. “Something wrong with you?”  


“Your dragon looks like a lion.” I blurted.  


“My...” His gaze turned sharp, studying me with probing eyes. “You can see that?”  


Biting my lips together, I nodded. Pretty sure I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.  


“Interesting.”  


“You what?” Argenta looked like she was about to go feral as she reached out to grab me again.  


Just as her fingers brushed against my throat, the swordsman frowned. “Argenta.” His tone firm, brokering no room for argument. “Stop. She has done nothing to warrant your actions.”  


“You... Your love for humans is going to get you killed...” It was muttered under her breath as she pulled away from me, but I heard it, nonetheless.  


“I am Geraint, and this is my sister, Argenta.” He made a motion toward her, the smile back on his handsome face. “Who might you be?”  


“I’m Anastasia. I, ah,” The sensation in my stomach was telling me I had to continue. The Well was vocal, too, telling me the same thing. What was with everything today? “haven’t been to Lagendia in a few centuries. Getting my bearings and all that.”  


“Is that so?” Surprise settled on his features as he tilted his head. Sizing me up again.  


“You’re hundreds of years old?” The other dragon sniffed, glaring at me.  


“No, but I’ve been through quite a few lives, with a lot of memories from them intact. It’s the one that I was here that I don’t remember.” I explained. “Trying, though. Working on it.”  


“And you’re human?”  


I raised an eyebrow at him. “As far as I know.”  


They exchanged glanced, something unspoken passing between them.  


He reached out, holding his hand out for me to shake it.  


Confused, bemused, I accepted. Placed my hand in his. He surprised me even further by shifting so he was holding my fingers and leaned in, kissing the back of my hand. As his lips touched my skin, a vision hit me.  


The gold dragon and a black one, fighting midair. Clawing and biting at each other. One of the black dragon’s four wings was ripped off, fluttering uselessly to the ground below. The gold one screamed as one of the swiping claws connected with his face. He fell, as well, changing back into his humanoid form. A fresh wound across his good eye. He would be blind, now.  


“Are you alright?”  


I came back to myself with Geraint’s hands on my shoulders, searching my face. Concerned.  


“I’m... I’m okay.” I gave a shaky laugh, wiping the back of my other hand under my nose. Trying to get the blood. “I have visions-”  


“Visions?” That caught Argenta’s attention, and now her full focus was on me. “Like that Rose girl? The prophet?”  


“Yeah, except I’m pretty sure she doesn’t bleed like a sieve. And hers only come in dreams. From what I’ve been told.”  


“They come from contact?” The swordsman’s voice was soothing, reassuring. A stark contrast to his sister’s.  


“No. They can be brought on by anything. Most of the time, there isn’t any one thing I can pinpoint as the cause. But, if it’s something that affects someone specifically, and they touch me... It can trigger one. So far, it’s all been things that can change.”  


“And what did you see? Did it have to do with me?” He sounded so patient, while I was just rambling.  


“It did. Sorry. Sometimes, I get really disoriented from them.” I rubbed my forehead, giving myself a mental shake. “I saw you fighting with the black dragon and your other eye getting injured. You were blind.”  


Another look between them, and they fell deep in thought.  


“I told you not to fight him.” She huffed, arms crossed. Glaring at him.  


“I’ll be fine.” He smiled, making a placating gesture. “Having someone who sees the future on our side is a blessing from the Goddess. I now know I will be blinded, thus making it so I can be prepared and stop it from happening.”  


“Idealist.” She muttered, shaking her head. Eyeing me, her frown deepened. “You’re friends with that group of adventurers, right?”  


She had seen me with them, even if it was a few weeks ago, in Calderock and on the flight over.  


“Yeah.”  


“Hmph.” Was the only response I got, her attention turning to the large gate behind her as it creaked and started being pulled upward.  


“You should go. There’s only danger beyond this point.”  


This man, dragon he may be, didn’t know anything about me and my ability to defend myself. And how much harder I was trying to protect those around me, which now included him, since he was Argenta’s brother and Argenta was friends with my companions.  


“Get lost.” She stuck her tongue out at me, and I felt mildly offended. Mostly because how dare she use that against me. That was my thing!  


Eyes narrowed, I vanished in front of them, playing the “I can turn invisible” card. Walked over to the now open gate and waited for them  


The silver dragon seemed satisfied with that, passing through without a second glance at where I’d been, but Geraint looked directly at me before he followed suit, a smile on his face that made me think he was just indulging me. He knew perfectly well where I was, and that brought a grin to my face. It was nice to have people around who could challenge me.


	8. Prepping for the Black Dragon Fight

Obligatory Chapter Heading:  
Chapter 7:

We fought upward through the territory of the old black dragon, getting as far as the training grounds for the dark army. Finding an actual army that was growing at a rapid rate.  


Watching from above, the two dragons having found a secret path that wound up to an overhang, we saw the goblins, orcs, gnolls, the whole nine yards. They were clearly going through drills, training for... something. This was all we’d need, to prove to General Douglas that he was right in thinking they were up to something big.  


Carefully, we traced our way back to the foothills, and Geraint turned to me. Motioned for me to make myself seen again. So, I did.  


“What-”  


He cut off his sister, eyes on me. “What did you make of that?”  


“I believe Douglas was right. They’re planning something, maybe even an attack on Saints Haven. The only question is when.”  


“And why.” A nod, a contemplative expression on his face. “Coupled with your vision, I would say they’re uniting under the black dragon.”  


Velskud, again. Alina had said he was a good guy but... if these creatures were all uniting under his banner, to attack the city... Was he good at this point in time? It might be a case of personal growth or something, for future Velskud. There was a lot to talk about, it seemed.  


“Perhaps you should go back to Saints Haven.” He blurted abruptly, narrowed eyes on the horizon. Scanning.  


Had he seen something? How good was his eyesight, if he could see from so far away? Was it because he was a dragon? So many questions, so little time.  


“Alright.” Torn, I started slowly backing away. I wanted to stay, talk to them more, but if he knew something I didn’t, I felt I should listen. For once in my damn life, really. Was I changing or did it have to do with him?  


Him, without a doubt. There was no way I’d have listened to someone else under the same circumstances. What was it about him, then? I pushed it aside to think about later. Maybe even ask him.  


“Could you tell your general about what you saw here? The hordes gathered.”  


“Of course. I was going to, anyway. Maybe have Merritt tell him, actually.” I mused, mostly to myself. “Or at least be there when I do. He pays her more mind than any of the rest of us.”  


“Geraint.” Argenta’s voice was harsh. Even with just the one word, she easily portrayed her disdain for whatever was going through his head.  


“Perhaps we might be able to work with the city, save lives. Think about it, Argenta. People might not fear us, then.”  


“Why would they be afraid of you?” I frowned, immediately interested. My feet carrying me back toward them unconsciously.  


He gave me a soft, sad smile. “People fear what they do not understand. They don’t understand dragons and why we exist, so they fear us.”  


“And fear leads to hate.” She spat that last word, arms crossing again. Only, it looked more like she was hugging herself. Protecting against something.  


“Where I come from, dragons are feared because they’ll randomly decide to burn down a village or something. But they also aren’t people, just beasts. You, clearly, can tell right from wrong. You have the capacity for it.”  


“Who’s to say your dragons don’t?”  


I opened my mouth... then shut it, frowning. I hadn’t thought of that. Had anyone done the research? A simple enough task, given how many dragons had existed throughout the centuries. Even the darkspawn had proven to be more than mindless beasts, and they’re the most hated and feared of all creatures in Thedas...  


“Ah, I apologize.” A dip of his head. “And you should be off, as it is. Travel safely.”  


“Right. You, too.” I murmured to their backs as they walked off, away from the city.  


I went straight to the castle, spying Merritt talking to Douglas. How long had I been out, that they were already back?  


“I’ll leave you to it, General.” The girl took a step away, eyebrow raising upon seeing me.  


“General, I need to talk to you. Is there somewhere... less public?” I spoke softly, grabbing Merritt’s arm so she would stay.  


“Of course. Follow me.” I could tell he was curious, but he kept the questions to himself. Choosing to lead us through the winding hallways to what I presumed to be his actual office. “Have a seat.”  


We sat. I dove into what had happened, what I’d seen.  


“That is worrying.” Sighing, he rubbed his temples. Sat back in his chair. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention, we had no idea. We’ve sent scout after scout in that area, but none have returned. I had hoped it wasn’t the worst, but now, with this information... We can compensate the families.” A pause, and he got to his feet. “I will need to inform the king and the advisors immediately. Was there anything else?”  


You mean, like, the two I’d gone in with being dragons? Nope. Nothing. Not a thing.  


“No, sir.”  


“Very well. We will speak more later, perhaps. Regarding your continued aid.”  


A tentative future request for us to help them with this.  


Merritt and I walked back to the house in silence. That didn’t last long, however, because as soon as the door shut behind us, she opened her mouth.  


“So, what weren’t you telling him?”  


Alina’s head popped around the corner, and she gave us a concerned look. “Everything okay?”  


“I met Geraint, the gold dragon. He seems really nice.”  


“What?!” Both girls screeched.  


“I’ve heard he’s very handsome.” Elreid, who had walked in from the living room, sounded like she had stars in her eyes.  


“I mean.” I shrugged helplessly. “I guess you could say that? He wasn’t hideous, at least. Anyway, he and Argenta, I ran into them, and we snuck through the Overlord Keep area. Found this huge army that’s amassing there. I’m talking thousands and thousands of goblins, gnolls, orcs, trolls. All of them.”  


“You have to tell Douglas-”  


I held up a hand, placating her. “Already did. That’s where Merritt and I just came from. He’s going to tell the king and his advisors. And said he might ask us for help later on with the whole thing.”  


“That’s what being an adventurer gets you.” Illaria came strolling down the stairs, rolling her eyes. “People think it means you’ll help them stop huge, life-altering things.”  


“I want to help.” The Lancea sounded so small.  


Before I could say anything, the mage chuckled. Threw an arm around her shoulders. “Relax. I didn’t say I didn’t want to. Just that that’s what happens.”  


Elreid’s cheeks pinked, and she cleared her throat. “Ah, okay.”

Nine Days Later  


We hadn’t gotten used to having one less of us. I hadn’t expected to, but... Setting out a placement for her at the table without realizing... Knocking on her shared room, expecting her to open the door... Watching the others train and practice their abilities, and not seeing her among them...  


It was hard, and I’d only known her for a handful of weeks.  


I’d sent a letter to Zevran, asking what he did when a comrade died, and he’d told me that really only time, and distractions, helped. I didn’t think sex or booze would help in this case. I mean, I was only thirteen. No, thanks. The only thing I could think of was what we were already doing-throwing ourselves into the missions and spending time together as much as possible. It seemed to ease the ache a little. More so for some than others.  


Today was The Day. The general had met with Geraint and Argenta, discussed a battle strategy. And today was the fruit of that labor.  


The lot of us were going in, along with the troops of Saints Haven.  


“Are you all ready?” General Douglas had walked over to our group and was now looming over us imposingly.  


He definitely had the surrounding aura of “get it done, or else.” The king was lucky to have him, in my opinion.  


“Yes, sir.” Merritt answered for us.  


Geraint and Argenta approached. He dipped his head toward Douglas, a determined expression on his face.  


“General.”  


“Geraint.” A returned nod before addressing all of us. “We’ll begin the assault soon. Stay on guard.”  


Then he walked away, going back over to his place at the head of the army.  


“I have to ask,” Elreid was frowning, confused. “what are we doing here? I mean, I know what we are doing here, but why is the Saints Haven army here? Why are we doing this? We know the enemy is building a force, but they’re not attacking the city.”  


“We must fight because they’re building their army, so close to the city.” Zethial, quiet throughout the whole planning process, spoke up. I knew he didn’t actually fight, 

choosing instead to keep people on their feet as long as he could. “If we do not, should they attack Saints Haven... Innocent people will die.”  


“There is also one more thing.” The gold dragon interjected. “The black dragon has been spotted nearby. Information we’ve gathered points to the tower being where he resides.”  


“So, we’re fighting a dragon.” Illaria’s jaw dropped, and she stared at the man in disbelief. “You’re kidding.”  


“You will do no such thing.” Argenta scowled, glaring around our group. “None of you will go near the dragon, got it?”  


The others had said she was friendly enough, and they’d sworn they’d all grown on her. That they considered her a friend, and they were all pretty sure she thought the same. This was proof, in my book, and I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading.  


Of course, they had no way of knowing I’d killed my fair share of dragons, and that I was more than prepared to help, if I had to. Not that I would kill him, since it was Velskud and Alina had assured me on more than one occasion that he was a good guy, deep down. “Probably super deep down... but still! He’s a good guy!” had been her exact words in the last conversation, the one we’d had after my meeting the two dragons before us.  


Geraint caught my attention with a motion, and I followed him a little ways off.  


“Thank you, for not telling your general about us being dragons.”  


“It’s not my business. Or his. No one should spread it around without your consent, really. Especially since dragons aren’t looked on too fondly here.”  


“You talk as if you’re from somewhere else.” His tone was kind. Reminding me of the earlier conversation with him, about dragons where I’m from.  


“I kind of am.” That feeling was back in my stomach, prodding me to share my story with him. He’d already told me his secret, so why not? Tell him whispering through my mind, I gave the short version of it all.  


A thoughtful expression on his face, he listened to the tale in its entirety. “That’s very interesting.”  


“That seems to be the consensus, yeah.”  


“Thank you for sharing.”  


“Well, I figured, you seem nice enough.” Was that really the only reason? I mean, he hadn’t actually told me he was a dragon. Alistair would be so disappointed in me. So would Zevran. Oh my gods, what was wrong with me? I was just trusting everyone I met since I came to this world! Was I normally like this?  


While I was having a mental crisis, he was watching me. Reaching out, he patted the top of my head.  


“Relax. Fretting about things will only cause unnecessary stress and worry. Learn from your mistakes and move on.”  


“I...” I shook my head, my voice sounding miserable to my own ears. “I just had this feeling in my gut, that I should tell you. It didn’t occur to me that I shouldn’t listen to it.”  


“Ah.” Crouching, he placed his hands on my shoulders. Stared me in the eye. “Always trust your instincts. They’ll never lead you astray, no matter the circumstance. It may seem like a mistake in the moment, but later on, you’ll see you made the right choice.”  


That... actually made me feel a lot better, and it made sense. No matter the countless times it had seemed like I’d royally messed up, it had always worked out, in the end.  


“Thanks.”  


A horn blew close by, followed by another and another. Soon, dozens were joining in, sounding the start of the battle.  


“Be safe.” He returned to his full height and looked out at my friends. “Keep your companions close.”  


“You, too.” I backed away a couple steps before turning and running back to said friends.  


Liam, expression grim, was talking. “-ryone’s ready, because here we go.”


	9. You, too? Wow.

Obligatory Chapter Heading:  
Chapter 8:

The fighting around us was bloody and horrible. The ten of us stuck as close to each other as we could, while still helping the soldiers. Zethial and Merritt were more support than anything, swooping in and saving men and women left and right. Pulling them from the brink. The rest of us acted as defense, jumping between soldiers and killing blows. 

Taking out the creatures that were leading the enemy troops, the ones calling the shots and sounding the warning horns.  


Several hours into the fray, a large shadow from overhead had us all looking up. The black dragon was here.  


With a shouted apology directed toward the general, Geraint sprouted three sets of wings and leapt into the air. Transforming into a dragon midair. Throwing himself at the black dragon.  


It was exactly like my vision. I could only hope he knew what he was doing and didn’t wind up blind.  


The gold dragon ripped off one of the black dragon’s wings, throwing it over the side of the mountain, and the scream from the wounded dragon sent the army of beasts fleeing. They knew the tide had turned. It was now a losing battle, and they wanted to get away as quickly as possible.  


With another scream, the black dragon lashed out, its claws raking across the gold dragon’s face.  


Just like I’d seen...  


Like a meteor, the gold one crashed to the ground, the size of the crater at odds with the much smaller man.  


Sprinting toward him, I got there just as Argenta did. She was already speaking, calling him an idiot and stupid and asking why he’d felt the need to help and why couldn’t he have left well enough alone and look where it got him. While she was berating him, I noticed she was also checking him over to make sure he was in one piece.  


“Argenta, calm down.” His voice was weak, but he was awake and talking. That was a good sign, right?  


“You idiot! You could have died!” Hissed under her breath and, not for the first time, I wondered how good a dragon’s hearing was. “Now, stop lollygagging and open your eye.”  


The moment of truth.  


He did as he was told, but something was... off about it. He wasn’t looking directly at either of us, or at anyone in the growing crowd around us. More just staring into space.  


“Geraint...”  


“I, ah, seem to be unable to see.” His tone was jovial, even going so far as to chuckle, but the pain on his face belied the attempt at downplaying the situation.  


_“You idiot!”_ She wailed, burying her face in his shoulder.  


Hearing her sobs, I silently motioned for everyone to back off, getting to my feet and retreating as well. Giving them space.  


“Is he... dead?” Elreid’s voice broke on the word.  


“No.” I rushed to assure her. “No. He’s... blind. He was already blinded in one eye, and the black dragon damaged the other one. But he’s alive.”  


“I can’t imagine.” The Sorceress shook her head, staring at the two dragons. “I also can’t imagine being a dragon and being unable to see. Then again, I can’t imagine being a dragon.”  


Liam, standing a few paces away, spoke up. “I knew he seemed familiar.”  


“What do you mean?” The Lancea asked, frowning. Tilting her head.  


“He looks just like how Geraint, the gold dragon from fifty years ago, is described.”  


Illaria was now openly gawking at the duo. “No way! I can’t believe I didn’t realize that! That means Argenta is _the_ Argenta from back then, too!”  


“It’s true, then, that the silver dragon is too weak to transform.”  


“What makes you say that?” I asked, crossing my arms.  


He blinked at my defensive tone and shift in my stance. Black Opal put a hand on my shoulder.  


“He doesn’t mean anything by it, just that the stories from the black dragon raid fifty years ago say that the silver dragon never once changed from her human form. There’s a lot of theories about it, the most popular one being that she was too weak, for whatever reason. That’s all.”  


Pursing my lips, I looked back over at the dragons. Took a deep breath. “Even if that is the case, don’t go asking about it. I don’t think she’s going to take this well. Personally, I mean. She might blame herself for being unable to help.”  


“Of course not.” Liam shook his head emphatically. “I would never just blurt it out to her.”  


Geraint said something to his sister, and she looked around, eyes landing on me. With a jerk of her chin, she motioned for me to join them again.  


“Er, excuse me.” I mumbled quietly, making my way over.  


“He needs a place to rest and heal.”  


“I have a stupid question.” I began, curious but also hesitant to ask.  


“Go ahead.” The gold dragon murmured softly, kindly.  


“With all the healing Clerics can do, we have two with us actually-”  


He was already shaking his head. “Healing magic can only do so much. Dragons, usually, need to heal naturally. Unless the Goddess sees fit to allow healing magic to affect them.”  


What. I blinked. “That’s...” Bullshit. Absolute bullshit. How could She withhold that? I knew that a Cleric’s abilities came from the Goddess, but... Could She really do that, really just make it so they couldn’t be healed?  


The others had slowly, one by one, walked over during this conversation.  


“I’ll ask the general if there’s somewhere we can let you rest, in Saints Haven.” Merritt asserted, a faraway look on her face.  


“Do you have something in mind?” Illaria asked, tilting her head. “He might be too busy to pull a place out of his ass, what with figuring things out now.”  


She nodded. “I’m thinking the basement of the castle.”  


Without giving anyone the chance to question her, she darted off to find him.  


It wasn’t much longer until several soldiers came up to us, saying they were to be escorts, taking Geraint to the castle. Argenta shouldered his weight, refusing to let anyone help and, his arm around her shoulders, they followed. Leaving our group to be the last to clear out of the area.  


Elreid reached out, touching her cousin’s arm. “Merritt, are you-”  


“I’m okay.” Her words sounded automatic. A glance over at me, and her expression shifted, just enough for me to know something was clearly up. She just didn’t want to talk about it, at least not right now.  


“Goddess...” Zethial’s quiet exclamation drew all of our attention.  


Liam was holding a girl in his arms. A girl with pink hair.  


None of us had expected to find her, here of all places. Whether all along or only recently, I wasn’t sure. I just knew that I was staring at Rose’s unconscious form.  


She’d been found, at long last.

Three Days Later  


Geraint had spent the time protecting Rose, down in the basement. She had yet to regain consciousness, locked in a perpetual dream land. According to Lady Kayleen, she wouldn’t wake up unless she wanted to, since she wasn’t being held by any demons. Which wasn’t helpful. She didn’t want to wake up. She wanted her life to be normal and didn’t want to wake until it happened.  


She’d also blamed Zofya for her woes, saying it was all her fault, for some reason. That had made me glad she wouldn’t come back to the land of the living, so to speak, because if she’d been awake, I’m sure one or more of us would’ve hit her.  


“What do you mean, he’s created a nest? What even is that? Like, he brought in a bunch of twigs? Like a bird? Is he a bird now?” Illaria scoffed, rolling her eyes at how stupid it sounded.  


It did sound strange.  


“Wh-No. Not like a bird.” Merritt ran a hand over her face, done with the Sorceress already, and it was still morning. “It’s a magic thing, I guess. As long as it’s up, only people with his permission can cross into the basement now.”  


The Cleric had been avoiding me at all costs the last few days, leaving the room whenever I entered. It was the weirdest thing. Had I done something? Was she just stressed about current events and not actually avoiding me? Was I developing a complex? Oh, man. I needed to get out of my head more often...  


“I’d like to talk to you.”  


I skittered back a couple steps, surprised that while I was lost in thought, she’d gotten close enough to whisper in my ear.  


“Uh. Sure. What about?”  


“Not here.” She shook her head. “Follow me.”  


Wide eyed, I obeyed, trailing after her in silence. She’d looked so solemn that I wasn’t sure what to say, so I’d decided being quiet was better.  


We wound through the city, coming upon a small graveyard. She kept walking, leading to the other side, the whole thing surrounded by a pristine hedgerow. Went around it, along a cobblestone path. Our adventure ending quickly after that at a little patio table. An umbrella, opened against the sun, rising from the center. Two chairs sitting pretty. A plate of finger food sandwiches and a teapot already in place on the surface of the table.  


Had she planned this whole thing? Or were we crashing someone’s tea party?  


“This is one of the Justitia plots. That building right there,” She pointed to the closest one, a huge mammoth of a thing. “Is the Justitia estate.”  


“That... Woof. That’s huge.”  


“I offered my home to Elreid, when it was just her and Eltia, because she wanted to be independent. She didn’t want to have to stay with the family. There’s a reason why all of you are staying at my house, rather than that place.” Her nose wrinkled. “It’s not for me to share, but that wasn’t the reason for bringing you so far away from everyone.”  


I waited patiently, taking a seat and eyeing the food.  


“Help yourself.” A chuckle as she sat across from me, pouring both of us some tea. “You’ve noticed how much she and I look alike, I’m sure.”  


“Yeah.”  


“It certainly makes it easier to pass as a Justitia girl, especially since there are so many of them, and they all look so similar.” I was sure my expression resembled a question mark, because she paused and laughed again. “I’m not actually related to them. I’m not actually from here, from Lagendia. I woke up here one day, and Elreid took me in.”  


“So, she’s used to strangers saying they’re not from around here.”  


“Yeah.” We shared a smile.  


“Where are you from? If it’s okay for me to ask.” I munched on one of the sandwiches, pleasantly surprised at the taste. A nice, rich hazelnut spread between two thin pieces of pound cake.  


“Somewhere where the world is just “Earth.” No special name for it. And it’s much more advanced.”  


Leaning forward, I searched her face. “I’m from North Carolina, in the United States.”  


Her expression shifted from surprise to gleeful in seconds. Clapping her hands, she giggled happily. “No! I’m from Washington state.”  


“I just got here a few weeks ago, I’m sure Elreid has kept you up to date.” She nodded, and I continued. “It was two thousand and five, when I left.”  


“I’ve been here several years, now. I _think_ it was two thousand and one. I _think_. It’s hard to remember. I was thirteen, I know that much.”  


“My age.” I murmured, staring at the table. Following one of the swirling patterns with my eyes. “I’ve been told, by the Spirit of Death, that I’m originally from here, but... I don’t want to be stuck here, you know?”  


“Trust me, I get that. Luckily, sending letters to your family helps ease that anxiety of never talking to them again. At least, a little. But any bit helps, right?”  


If my mom cared that I existed, sure.  


We sat there for a while, neither of us speaking.  


“If we both get out, we should meet up. Outside of craziness, I mean. Just... I don’t know. See a movie or go shopping or something.” Even as she spoke, her face was all twisted up.  


“That seems so uneventful, after going through all of this.”  


We laughed, it turning into near-hysterics before too long.  


“I can’t believe people die.” I blurted. “Like, I’ve seen my fair share of death. Hell, I’ve caused more than my fair share, but... It never... I don’t know what I’m trying to say.”  


“I get it. I’ve never had anyone close to me die before. It’s... a surreal thought.” A shudder. “ All we can do is try to keep each other alive. Hope that no one else meets the same fate...”  


“Why do I feel like that won’t be as easy as it sounds?” I let my forehead _thunk_ onto the table, letting out a deep sigh.  


“Well, to make sure we make it back to our lives, let’s try our hardest, yeah?”  


Sitting up, I looked over at her. She seemed so powerful, and I couldn’t place my finger on why I thought that.  


_We will help, always._  


If I had the Well backing me, and my friends too, surely there wasn’t anything we couldn’t do.  


“Definitely.”


	10. Murphy's Law

Obligatory Chapter Heading:  
Chapter 9:

The Next Day  


“Okay, so. He’s in this cave. He’s wounded and might lash out, so just be careful.”  


“It’s like you’re warning me about a wild animal. He’s a person, isn’t he?”  


Alina had dragged me out to the foothills, toward a cave I hadn’t noticed in all the times I’d been in the area. The others were busy dealing with trying to get Rose to wake up. I said let her rot, but that’s just because I didn’t like the feeling I got when I was around her.  


“Look, I’m just saying. He can be crabby.”  


“Noted. Can we go inside now?” I demanded, exasperated. We’d been standing here for about an hour, now. Just... standing here, with her going on about how he dangerous he might be.  


She took a deep breath, psyching herself up. “Okay. We can do this. Okay.”  


My mood quickly shifting back to bemusement, I trailed after her as she hesitantly led the way.  


His dragon was beautiful. I hadn’t gotten a good look at it in either the vision or yesterday during the dragon fight. Now that I was up close, I could see that it was more than just big and black. Where the other two I’d seen were stocky, this one was thinner. Not by much, but it was enough to create this air of grace about it.  


“You again.” Velskud spat at my best friend, and I immediately bristled.  


Before she could respond, I beat her to it. “That’s awfully rude, for someone who’s hiding in a cave. Wounded.”  


His gaze shifted to me, eyes narrowing into a glare. “And who are you?”  


“I’m Anastasia.” I made a sweeping motion to the air around him, encompassing the spirit. “Your dragon is beautiful, by the way. Do you need any healing?”  


Raising an eyebrow, he glanced back and forth between us before ultimately shaking his head. Sighing. Relaxing a little. “No, I do not.”  


“Is it that you can’t be healed because you’re a dragon, like Geraint told me, or do you just not want my help?”  


“Both.”  


“Your friend seems nice.” Tone conversational, I turned to Alina.  


She gave me a weak smile, apologetic.  


“What are you doing here?” The question was directed at her.  


“I wanted to check up on you! I told you I wouldn’t leave you alone for too long!”  


“I told you,” Narrowed eyes again. “to leave me.”  


“And I did. Now, I’m back.”  


I almost laughed, only just barely managing stop by biting my lips together. I hadn’t realized she could be so sassy. I liked this side of her.  


“Leave me.”  


“No.” Hands on her hips, she shook her head. “You need some healing, and Ana’s not exactly from here. Her magic might be able to help.”  


If it did, could I heal Geraint...? How would I even explain that I knew it would work, if it actually did? “Hey, I totally tried healing your enemy and it worked. Let me see if it works on you.” Pfft. Yeah, because that would go over well.  


Still. I wondered if... Alina had told me, while we’d been walking toward the foothills, about the dragon raid fifty years ago. How Velskud had been a knight, the greatest out of his peers, and he and Geraint had become friends. Only, Geraint hadn’t told anyone he was a dragon and, in the fight against the last black dragon, he’d revealed it during the battle and... Everyone had turned on him, because dragons were, and still are, feared and hated. Velskud had confronted him and snatched the black dragon gem from the ground before Geraint could reach it. Unfortunately for the knight, he absorbed the gem. Becoming the black dragon. Overcome with the pain of taking it in as a human, he stumbled backward and fell over the side of a cliff. Transformed into the dragon and flew off.  


No one had seen him since, not until Rose had gone missing.  


It made me wonder if he cared at all still about the gold dragon.  


“Geraint is fully blind now.”  


He blinked at me, face blank. Processing the information.  


“Just thought you’d want to know.”  


“That...” He looked at a loss for words before abruptly schooling his expression and glaring at me again. “Good for him.”  


“Well, I mean, it’s really not. It’s gonna suck, fighting while blind.” Brushing past Alina, approaching him, I held up a hand. Blueish energy swirling around it. “Hold still.”  


“It won’t work.”  


He sounded so sure, and I wanted nothing more in that moment than to tell him “I told you so.” Hovering my hands over his shoulder, because I wasn’t sure where he was actually hurt, I closed my eyes and let the magic flow through me and into him.  


A noise of surprise from him made me grin. I knew it was working, could feel it working. Hah, eat that, dragon man.  


“Now, I doubt I can regrow a wing, but I can certainly try. Over a few days, of course. That kind of healing, I imagine, would be exhausting.” I offered as I backed up a step.  


“Who are you?” Keen eyes stared through me, as if trying to search my soul.  


I shrugged. “I’m just Ana. I’m, apparently, from Lagendia, but haven’t been here in hundreds of years. My magic isn’t like others I’ve met here. I don’t know what else to tell you.”  


His eyes had narrowed. Again. Like he thought I was lying or omitting something important.  


“Hmph.” Was the only response I got.  


Half an hour passed, and I looked to robot girl. “Yeah, I’m gonna go now. See if there’s anything I can help the others with.”  


“Okay. Be safe!”  


“This is me you’re talking to.”  


“Right.” She made a “silly me” face. “Just don’t die, how’s that?”  


Wrapping my arms around her, I said my goodbyes and left them to their own devices.

A Few Hours Later  


Thinking of what I’d felt, such a short time ago yet it felt like forever had passed, when I’d been so sure that the lot of us could do anything. As long as we had each other. I needed to learn to not give the universe a challenge, accidental or otherwise. Because of course, that would spur the powers that be to test it. Of course.  


I’d gone to the house, finding Elreid and Eltia in the kitchen ooing and awing over something.  


“What’ve you got there?” I’d asked, leaning over between them. Curious.  


We’re looking over forms for creating our own guild.” Eltia had said shyly.  


Elreid, however, had been much more animated. “We have enough! And Deckard was always telling us to join one! Gunther, now, too! He told us today that if we don’t want to join an existing one, we could make our own! And everyone else was for it!”  


“That sounds like fun.” I’d given her a smile, loving her enthusiasm over it. It was the first time in a while that she’d smiled and looked so carefree.  


"Soon, we'll be our own guild! I'm so excited!"  


It was adorable.  


"Back from where?"  


As if summoned, Merritt, Dawn, Zethial, and Aedethali had all come downstairs, looking like they were ready for a battle. There was a giant serpent-like beast off the coast, by Captain Darlant’s Base. Captain Darlant was a rhinoceros, only huge and walked on two legs. Oh, and wielded a gun. He was feared and hated, being a pirate and all. Somehow, no matter how often or what the soldiers did, he managed to slip away from their attempts at capturing him every time. For years. A few days ago, we’d been tasked, with trying to bring him in, because he wouldn’t be expecting non-soldiers to be after him, but at the last minute, he’d managed to get aboard his ship and sail away.  


Anyway, this giant serpent was loose, and our group had been asked to take care of it. And Geraint would be joining, as well.  


And now, here we were... Geraint, arms spread, taking the blow for Merritt. Serpentra's beak speared him as we looked on, unable to do anything, before retreating back into the depths of the ocean. It had happened in a matter of seconds, too quick for any of us to react. Even me.  


"No!"  


"Geraint!"  


I raced over, my hands already glowing with healing energy, and grabbed his shoulder. Trying so hard. Aedethali knelt on his other side, expression solemn. Simply accepting that he wouldn’t make it.  


"I am a dragon. We die, but we come back. Take my gem to Argenta, please." His voice was low, tone urgent. It felt like he was sharing a deep secret with us.  


His “gem?”  


"You can't die." Dawn was sobbing, hugging herself a little ways away. "You can't! Can't you guys do something?!"  


"Lagendia magic has no effect on us." He reminded me.  


I'd helped Velskud. I'd proven I could heal the dragons. This was no different. I would stop him from dying. Everyone counted on him so much, he couldn't die. Everyone would miss him, he couldn't die. He couldn't. He couldn't...  


Just as I felt it was beginning to work, he reached up and covered my hand with his. Pulled me away from him. Shook his head, a gentle look on his face.  


Murmuring softly. "My time has come. I will be back, I promise you."  


What. No. I couldn't accept-  


A flash of white light, and he wasn't there anymore. Just a gemstone, floating. Slowly falling. Aedethali grasped it, wrapped a scarf around it. It looked like Dawn's.  


Merritt and Zethial had been awfully quiet and, looking around, I understood why.  


Dawn hadn't been screaming for Geraint, nor had she been hugging herself. Zethial lay, unmoving, in her arms. His head cradled against her chest. Merritt, tears streaming down her cheeks, knelt over him, trying her hardest to bring him back, but...  


We'd lost two today. We should've waited for the others, and yet... There was no telling how many more of us would've died had we all been present.  


Afterward, when we'd carried him back to Saints Haven, taking him to Cleric Enoch, I overheard Dawn and the man talking. At the same time Serpentra had lashed out at Geraint, he'd also swiped a claw, the Dromaji the intended target. Zethial had leapt between them and taken it for her. He'd died protecting her, and she wasn't sure how to live with herself. Enoch wrapped her up in a hug, whispering something to her that I couldn't hear, and she gave a weak nod before pulling away. Rejoining us.  


Liam, who'd actually been the one to carry... He explained, quietly, that the Clerics were buried in a private, ritualistic way. We wouldn't be allowed to see it, because of how secretive the Order was about it.  


It took a couple of days, but eventually, we stumbled upon Argenta. She already knew, said that she could feel it, when he'd passed. Blamed us, saying it was because he was too close to us. Blamed him, saying it was because he loved humans too much. That she knew it would get him killed. I vaguely remembered her saying something along those lines before.


	11. Perks of Being in a Guild

Obligatory Chapter Heading:  
Chapter 10:

Days passed, two weeks both flying and dragging by, and Dawn hadn’t talked to anyone, wouldn't come out of her room. Until yesterday.

Which was when the guild forms had been submitted. Elreid, Eltia, and Merritt had worked tirelessly, filling everything out to a T and making sure everything was in order. With Gunther's help. He'd even sent a letter to Deckard, to let him know about it and ask for his opinion. The Calderock Guild Master had sent multiple letters back, containing gifts. A clear sign of his blessing.

Stamps and jewelry. Nine rings, nine necklaces, and nine sets of earrings. The Justitias had been excited upon seeing them all, saying something about them being enchanted and very costly to get your hands on.

Along with a letter that was solely about being sorry to hear about our losses. Kind words about the both of them, how helpful they were. How much potential they had. Wishing us the best of luck and hoping we would all continue along the path of helping people, but to stay safe and be careful. Keep an eye on each other.

It was both easier and harder this time, losing myself in doing errands for people. Nothing terribly dangerous, and we kept to the buddy system. Taking it that much more seriously. Even I stopped literally throwing myself into danger. If someone had told me that six months ago, I would've laughed in their face, since it was a pastime for me.

The others periodically checked in on Rose, though I ducked the responsibility. I _really_ didn’t like the feeling I got from her. It was suffocating, like a hand wrapping around my throat. Whether it was her or something that had latched onto her, I wasn’t sure. Nor did I care enough to look into it. Kind of had a lot on my mind, and I wasn’t looking to add anything else into the mix. Feeling like I was one breath away from death whenever I was near her meant no Ana. Nope. Nuh-uh.

When Lady Lena let slip to Elreid that Serpentra had been spotted again, this time terrorizing the coast, the Lancea, without hesitation, had asked for more information. It had destroyed countless ships, drowning dozens of people at sea. Only a handful, survivors barely hanging on, had managed to get back to Hermalte Port. They all had the same tale: the waters had been calm, no sign of storm above or below. Without warning, the giant serpent had shot up out of the water and wrapped around the ship, constricting and crushing it. Breaking it into pieces and letting it sink. Preying on the crew, eating them. General Douglas had sent a team of soldiers two days ago, but they had yet to return.

I was leaving the castle, having separated from Aedethali upon returning to the city square, after telling Duke Stuart that the task he'd wanted was finished. He was a stick-up-the-ass noble, but he wasn't all bad. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but he wasn't nearly as awful as some of the nobles in Amaranthine. The ones who'd plotted my death.

Lena called out to me, waving me over. She was wringing one of her many handkerchiefs, very anxious.

"I... may have done something wrong." She began, voice barely above a whisper.

"Coming from _you_ , that's saying something." I raised an eyebrow.

She was the infamous White Rose, the person kidnapping nobles to interrogate them. To be fair, they were in league with the Dragon Cultists, a mostly unknown third party that was constantly popping up, in connection with missing and dead people. Supposedly they followed one of the dragons, but none of them had ever given any indication as to which one. It had been widely believed that they'd followed Velskud, but Alina had said they were after him. That he'd escaped their master, but she wouldn't tell any of us who that was. I'm sure it had something to do with influencing the future, so I never pushed the subject when it came up.

Anyway, with her double life, I was worried that meant she might've been found out. With-out proof that any of those nobles were part of the cult, there was nothing protecting her. She'd be toast, if anyone found out. Especially her father, General Douglas. It would come back on him, as well, people making false connections that he must've known and abided by it.

"I..." She took a deep breath and spoke in a rush. "may have told Elreid about Serpentra reappearing, and she ran off."

"Oh." I took a step backward.

It was back again. Would we have to fight it...? Our encounter had barely lasted a few minutes, and two people had... It had been an utter disaster...

"She said something about making a guild. Did she do it yet? Are you a member?"

"I... Yeah. She filed yesterday for it. We'll hear today."

Just as the words left my lips, I felt a jolt, similar to electricity, zing through my body. Hands flying to my forehead, I winced.

"Oh! I think it was just formed!" She grabbed my arm, staring at me with wide eyes. "Try to send a message to her. You have to make sure she's okay. Please."

"Send... a message? Like, mail?"

"No." A quick shake of her head. "People in a guild can send telepathic messages to other members. Even to multiple people at the same time." Like a group chat. Huh. "Try it. Please."

Here goes nothing, I guess.

Concentrating, probably harder than necessary, I reached out mentally. "Elreid, where are you? Lady Lena is worried about you."

"Ana? I'm..."

An image of where Merritt and I had had tea that one day, where we'd talked about being from the same world, flashed behind my eyes.

Focusing on Lena once again. "She's over at the Justitia estate. It's by a graveyard."

"The tea garden. I know the place."

"Right. So, what are you still doing here?"

An "oh!", and she was gone. Rushing down the halls to leave the castle. To get to Elreid. Honestly, those two were both extremely smart, but they thought they were hiding their relationship from everyone. Yet, our whole group knew. We just didn't acknowledge it, because it wasn't our business. If either of them wanted to talk about it, they would.

"The guild has officially been formed! "Vivid Void" is all ours." Merritt's voice wound its way through my mind, and I instinctively knew it was a group message.

Vivid, for bright and full of life we all were. Zofya and Zethial had been, too. How we all felt strongly about helping people when we could. And Void, because the loss of those two, three for me, had created a dull, empty space where they'd once been. Thus, we'd come up with Vivid Void. It was the thing that had taken the longest, settling on a name.

And that discussion had been what had brought Dawn out. She'd been the one to recommend it, giving that explanation. She'd heard it all, how none of us were able to come up with even a word we'd liked enough to put forward and, in her despair, almost as if it was being whispered to her by an unseen person, Vivid Void had sprung up.

She still hadn't left the house, but at least she'd graduated to being out of her room... That was a step forward, however small it may have seemed to someone on the outside.

Elreid came home late in the night, finding us all still awake. We'd stayed up to wait for her, choosing not to send her any messages because we wanted her to have her privacy. She would come back when she was ready.

"So... Serpentra is terrorizing the coast." The first words out of her mouth upon seeing us, before going through the conversation she and Lady Lena had had about it.

I hadn't mentioned it, not wanting to spook the others or make them feel like they had to do something about it. I was going to give it a day or two, since as far as I knew, it was only being spotted. I had no idea it had been attacking people.

"I want to help, but..." Liam's glass shattered, the force of his grip too much for it, sending everyone to their feet in surprise. "Sorry."

"We should." Aedethali, hands on the table as she leaned over it, spoke up while Illaria used her magic to clean up the debris. "We should help Saints Haven. Zofya and Zethial would want us to. They died for it. We can't turn our backs on that."

Elreid looked to her with tears in her eyes. "Aede..."

Dawn nodded, a determined expression on her face. "I'm going to help."

If even Dawn was in, we all were.

It was a good thing we'd all come to an agreement, because only minutes later, there was a knock on the front door. No one had ever come to the house, in all the weeks we'd been here, and confused glances were exchanged all around.

Merritt was the one to reach it first, opening it to reveal General Douglas. Looking harried and... kind of nervous. I hadn't seen the man be anything but cool as a cucumber and in control, and it was alarming to see him in such a state.

"I-There-You-" He paused, taking a deep breath.

"Do you want to come in, General?" She asked, stepping aside. Concerned, as we all were, I'm sure.

"I-Yes. Thank you." We led him into the living room. Sitting on one of the armchairs, he ran a hand through his hair. Trying to collect himself. "Serpentra downed another ship, one that was carrying the second round of soldiers that was supposed to engage with it. Over three dozen men and women, lost." I didn't understand why they thought sending out a ship full of people on to the ocean would help. How it would take down a sea serpent. "I've come to ask for your aid again."

More glances between each other.

"Actually, we'd just finished discussing it before you arrived."

"And your answer?"

"We'll help."

The tension and anxiety seemed to drain away as he slumped, eyes closing. Lips moving. A silent prayer? "Good. Thank you."

"We'll need a day to prepare, make sure we have enough health and mana potions. Speak to the trainers and see what they have to say about the serpent from the last time it appeared."

The last time...? It had come around before? I wondered what that meant, if it had merely been- Wait. The bishop had... Merritt and Elreid were right, my instincts were right, weren't they? He'd been sending some of our group on missions to collect ingredients, saying it would help defeat it, but so far there'd been no fruit to their labors.

The two Justitias had almost been kicked out of the castle, nearly banned from the grounds, because they'd voiced their concerns about him not being truthful about the things he was having us do. If it hadn't been for Duke Stuart, who'd sworn up and down that he didn't care one way or another, they would've been.

Which had only made the distrust grow, this time among everyone else in the group.


	12. A Visit from the Future

Obligatory Chapter Heading:  
Chapter 11:

Yesterday, we'd spent the whole day out and about. Buying potions, health and mana. Upgrading our outfits... armors... things and weapons to as high tier as we could. I'd borrowed a dress from Merritt for the day, everyone else wearing regular clothing that they'd all brought with them from wherever they were all from. I was the only one who hadn't thought to do that, apparently. The others had also gone to talk to the various trainers, asking for any information that might help us in our fight.  


I, however, had accompanied Merritt around the castle, aiding in solving disputes between some of the nobles and the advisers. After we’d all reconvened, I’d sent a letter to Zevran. Let him know what had been going on, that I would be adding a manmade dragon to my list of monsters I will have fought by the next time we were in touch.  


Today... Well, we were supposed to go collect our things from the blacksmith and seamstress, then fight Serpentra. So, tell me why I'd woken up in the middle of a field. Sky pitch black. Dead elves all around me.  


"Ana?" A soft, melodic voice called my name, and I looked around. Trying to see through the darkness around me.  


A figure encased in a white light approached, the brightness of it hurting my eyes. Aedethali, only... not. She looked like an angel, dressed in all white, the glow coming _from_ her.  


"Where... are we?"  


She tilted her head, her confusion lasting only a moment before understanding chased it away. "Of course. We're in Arendel." Where the elves were from? "Have I died yet, in your time?"  


"Wh-What?!" I choked out, rising to my knees. Struggling to do even that much, I felt so weak and tired. "No!"  


A soft smile as she reached me. "Be still." Sitting in front of me, a hand on top of my head. "I will soon die, in your time, I'm sure. It will happen, whether you want it to or not."  


"I definitely don't want it to!"  


The smile grew. "I know. But it is for a higher purpose. I will come back. Different than before, yet still me. I am still me."  


The confidence in her words, the assurance that she would be okay, had me speechless. I wasn't sure what I would say, even if I could speak. There were no words. She was telling me to let her die, that it wouldn't really be the end of her.  


"Have..." Hesitation, now. "Zofya and Zethial..."  


I lowered my head, my hands clenching into tight fists. "They're dead."  


"They will be back, much the same as me. Different, but themselves."  


"They..." My head whipped back up, and I stared at her with wide eyes.  


"He will have a harder time than her, coming to terms with what he will be upon returning. They will need support." Earnestly, she reached out and grasped my hands. Leaned her face close enough to mine to kiss. "Please, help them. If you and the others aren't there for them..."  


I was suddenly very conscious of the fact that we were surrounded by corpses.  


"Elreid did this." Pulling back, releasing me, she motioned toward the scene around us.  


"What...?" I was horrified. There had to be dozens of bodies.  


"Without the others to help them, to bring them back from the brink, they're claimed by the darkness in their hearts."  


"Does... Does she die, too?"  


"No." The smile was back, this time so, so sad. "She accepted a deal with the Spirit of Death. She wanted to protect everyone, was tired of losing people. Felt her efforts were in vain and wanted to be stronger. Strong enough for anything. She didn't account for the darkness welling up inside her, slowly overtaking her from within. Turning her into a mindless weapon."  


"A weapon for who?"  


She looked away, staring off into the distance. A faraway glint in her eyes. "Feder."  


Who was that...? It sounded familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  


"You and the others cannot allow this future to occur." Her gaze swung back to me, searching for something.  


"But, if I'm here right now, doesn't that mean nothing changed?"  


A trilling laugh. "No, no. It means that you've visited an alternate future, is all. Time flows in all directions, leaks into other universes. Otherwise, how would you be able to change anything at all? You would have no memory of the future happening, because it wouldn't have happened."  


That... made sense, I guess.  


"Is there anything else you can tell me? The more I know... the more I can do."  


She stood, dusting herself off. Opened her mouth, but another voice cut her off.  


"Aedethali? Are you with someone?"  


Another elf, unfamiliar yet I could have sworn I'd seen her before, stepped out of the darkness.  


"Meriendel, hello. I am." A gesture toward me. "My friend, Anastasia."  


The newcomer looked at me with closed eyes, a smile on her lips. "I know you."  


"She's from the past, in another timeline."  


"Ah, of course. When we'd last spoken, you were going to talk to the elven queen. I was wondering how you could be here, yet there at the same time."  


I was pretty popular, it would seem.  


"Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but are you-"  


"Blind? Yes. I see other worlds, though. The future, as well."  


"I can relate to that. Seeing the future, I mean."  


A sound akin to rushing water drowned out everything, making me cover my ears. It was coming from inside me, inside my head.  


As suddenly as it had started, it was over. I slowly straightened, finding myself still kneeling. This time, though, it was a familiar clearing with a bonfire in the middle. Sun low in the sky. Goblins everywhere, staring at me. I was at Marissa's Dryspring, surrounded by the goblins we'd helped. Liberating them from a ghost hobgoblin that had been controlling them.  


I quickly got to my feet, barely bowing my head at them, before sprinting away. Back toward the city.  


When I got there, no one was home.  


"Where are you guys?" I asked, tapping into the mental link.  


Silence, then.  
"Ana?! Where have you been?! We're fighting, and..."  


"Don't come!" Alina interrupted Illaria, sounding panicked as hell.  


Various chimes of agreement, all that I should stay away. I wasn't about, of course not! I would die fighting with them, if that's what it came down to. Not that I wanted to. I wanted to make sure they were all-  


The world shifted, like it was melting away.  


The sky was brighter, the sun higher in the sky. I'd finally managed it, finally sent myself back in time. Not the first time ever, but it was for Lagendia. That must mean I was getting the hang of it, right?  


Still, no one was home, but I couldn't be too far behind them.  


"Alina?" I sent a private message, running toward the blacksmithy to grab my weapons. Then to the seamstress to get my clothes. I would be useless to them without protection.  


"Ana? I was wondering where you were. Why didn't you reply to anyone's messages?"  


"Guess they don't work with time travel." My tone was short, and it wasn't my intention, but I needed to know where they all were. "Where are you guys?"  


"We're..." There was silence for a moment or two, where my anxiety started rising. "fighting Serpentra. Where-" Another stretch of it. "are you?"  


"I'm on my way, from Saints Haven. I just wanted to make sure you guys were still okay."  


She didn't say anything else after that, not until I was on the boat heading toward the island where General Douglas's man, the only one who'd lived from the last ship sent out, had said the serpent was using as a home base.  


"Don't come! Please, Ana!"  


My hands balled into fists. "I'm already here." A white lie, but she didn't need to know that.  


"Leave! Get away! Tell the general it's a lost cause!" Merritt was in my head now, screaming.  


The robot girl must've said something aloud to the others, or at least her.  


"Not a chance. We can do this."  


Aedethali had said she'd died during this fight, but she hadn't said anyone else had. If I could help keep everyone else alive, I had to join the fray.  


Taking a deep breath, I called the shadows to me, cloaking myself in invisibility. And ran, as quick as my feet could carry me, toward the center of the island.  


When I reached them, I paused a moment to take in the scene. Merritt was crouched over Illaria, healing her. Liam and Elreid defending them. Dawn was yelling and racing toward the beast, on the offensive. Alina had summoned her cute little robot ducks, along with her turrets. Black Opal and Aedethali were attacking from a distance. Him throwing knives, her firing arrow after arrow. And the damn thing didn't look any worse for wear, while they all looked exhausted. They must've been here for over three hours, by now. The fact that they were in such a state and the serpent was looking fresh was a very bad sign.  


It was definitely going to be a struggle, killing this thing. I swallowed, closing my eyes and centering myself. When I opened them again, I saw things. Specific parts of its hide glowed a dull purple, and I instinctively knew they were weak points. I didn't stop to question why or how I was seeing them, taking it as a blessing from Lagendia's Goddess. She'd already given us so much, by allowing my time traveling power to function properly today, and the day Zofya died. How we were able to save everyone else. And now this?  


Something pricked at the back of my mind, like I’d forgotten something and my brain was trying so hard to remember it. I shook it off as I made a round, going to each and every one of my companions. Brushing a hand across a shoulder, an arm. The back of a hand, a cheek. Giving healing energy to everyone, before throwing myself into the fight, pulling Vigil out. Sinking it deep into one of the weak points, slicing downward. Watched as the beast reared backward, confused screeches filling the air. No one, that it could see anyway, was near it. Well, to be fair, everyone looked confused. But no one stopped, continuing their assault. Illaria back on her feet, sending out black holes. Slowing it down a little.  


I mentally connected to the others, showing them the weak points the Voices of the Well were pointing out to me as I ran around behind the beast.  


"Ana?" Several voices filtered through.  


"I'm here. Focus your attacks where I showed you guys."  


"Oh my goddess, I forgot you can turn invisible." It sounded like Alina wanted to facepalm. Probably would have, if we weren't in such a dangerous situation.  


Had she ever seen me do it? Had I told her? I filed it away, to ask about later.  


Serpentra lashed out, swiping at Dawn as she launched herself into the air, aiming to punch its beak. A clawed hand slapped her to the ground and while its attention was on her, an arrow sank into one of its eyes. Aedethali ran forward, helping the bunny girl to her feet.  


After recovering rather quickly, too quickly for my liking, from the wound, it dove headfirst toward the two of them. Aedethali pushed Dawn behind her and took the attack. The beak pierced her middle, coming out the other side of her. Just like Geraint.  


"Noooo!" Dawn shrieked, catching her when she collapsed.  


Everyone gathered around them, Merritt attempting to heal enough of the damage to save her life. I couldn't hear what was being said, only saw moving lips for a moment before returning my attention back to the serpent.  


Letting the invisibility go, I shouted as loud as I could. "Oi! Over here, you overgrown lizard!"  


Thankfully, it turned to me, finding me the weaker of the two options I'm sure, and I stuck my tongue out at it. It let out a scream of fury, like it knew I was mocking it. How smart was this thing, really? Obviously smart enough to not be caught, to be able to deal with every plan they'd tried. And this place resembled the nest that Geraint had made in the basement, the energy the same. It really was a laboratory-bred dragon.  


The tail swept out, trying to knock me away, but I managed to wrap myself around it. So, now I was just getting flung around every which way, while it tried to get me off it. I climbed my way up along to its back. Continued to its neck. The whole ordeal probably only took a couple of minutes, but it felt like eternity was passing.  


I finally reached my destination, slashing Vigil downward into the hide, when shouting reached my ears. Aedethali was standing tall, arrow nocked. Ready to let it fly, just waiting for an opening. Dawn was trying to get her to retreat, Merritt saying the elf needed to let her do her job and heal her. She gave them a soft smile before rapid firing toward the serpent's face. More than a few arrows finding their way into its good eye.  


Blind, it reached out at where the three of them had been. Just before the claws raked across Dawn's body, the elf jumped in front of her. Again, taking the blow.  


It was enough of a distraction for me to cut through a section of the hide, prying it up as far as Vigil and my hands could manage. After taking a deep breath, I shoved my hands inside. Lit them up with electricity.  


It screamed and thrashed, trying so hard to shake me. Trying so hard to escape the pain. Even after it fell, I didn't stop. I wanted to make damn fucking sure this thing was dead. Dead and gone, never to return. I didn't care that fifty years ago, they hadn't managed to kill it, had only sealed it away somewhere. It would be dead, for what happened today.  


It didn't matter that she would come back one day. It had to pay for this.  


Several minutes passed, where nothing happened. Where I kept the magic going.  


_Ana. Anastasia. The others are still alive, they need you. Relax. Breathe._  


The spirit's voice in my head snapped me out of my haze, and I realized it really was dead. There wasn't any reason for me to keep it up. I hopped down, staggering on my feet from the amount of energy I'd poured into that.  


Looking toward the others, I saw that Aedethali wasn't dead. Not yet. She was hanging on by a thread, broken whispers reaching me the closer I got to them.  


"Zethial... wouldn't have wanted..." She was cupping Dawn's cheek, smiling weakly. "you to die."  


"That... You shouldn't..." Choked sobs, clutching the elf's hand.  


As gently as I could, I maneuvered my way through everyone gathered around, kneeling opposite Dawn.  


"Aede... I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier, when the fighting first started, but I have good news."  


It took a moment, but her eyes eventually moved over to me. It sent a pain through my chest, thinking that it had taken all her effort to manage that much.  


"I saw you, in the future. You said that you come back, better than ever. I don't know how, I didn't ask. But you come back."  


Her smile brightened, surprising me with how happy and big it was, focusing on the other girl again. "You... hear that? Don't... cry... Dawn. I'll see you..."  


A minute, two, four passed, but it was clear she wouldn't be finishing her sentence.  


"She'll see us _soon_." Dawn carefully rested Aedethali's hand on the elf's chest, then wiped the tears from her eyes. "We should get her to Ithilien before we go see the general."  


"Dawn..." Elreid touched her shoulder.  


"I'm..." She looked to me, searching my face for any sign of lying. "You're sure? You weren't just saying that?"  


"That's where I was this morning, honest. I saw her and another elf, Meriendel. She..." I glanced around at everyone. "told me that Zofya and Zethial come back, too. They'll be... _different_ , but she didn't explain how. Just that even though they'll be different, they'll still be themselves, and that we shouldn't forget that."  


I’d decided in the moment to keep Elreid’s becoming a monster a secret. For now. We could dead with that later. This was enough to dump on everyone, all at once.  


"Zeth..." The sobbing started over again, the others joining her. Happy tears, this time.  


It was a little bizarre, the scene before me. Everyone crying from happiness, while Aedethali lay dead in the midst of us. An outsider would think we'd lost our minds or something, but she'd be back. They all would. And we'd be ready to accept them.


	13. A Shopping Episode

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 12:

Ithilien's permanent gentle smile fell when we rounded the corner and she could see us. Liam carrying Aedethali's body, it clear on everyone's faces that she wasn't just unconscious. Sure, she would be back, but in the meantime, she was gone. And we all felt it.

The Elven woman took her from the boy, cradling her close. Murmuring in a language I didn't understand.

"Miranolen. Thank you, for bringing her to me." A tear fell, followed by another. "I will take her to Arendel, to give her rest. I am sorry for your loss."

"And we're sorry for yours." Merritt bowed her head, wiping her own eyes.

Four Days Later

The bishop, Ignacio, had absconded with the prophet while we everyone was scrambling with how to deal with Serpentra. So, here I was, heading up the steps of the castle. On my way to see if the general had any leads yet or if Lady Lena had found anything in her nightly activities of breaking into people’s homes.

A streak of blue darted past me, catching my attention. I looked over, but whoever or whatever it was, they were already gone. Out of sight around the corner.

"Oh, Ana." Merritt was walking toward me, a couple of papers in her hands, the same direction the blur had come from. "I just got the latest from General Douglas.” I hadn’t realized she was already on top of it. “Bishop Ignacio was last seen at the Tyrant's Tomb, so that's where we'll be heading next."

"Sounds like a plan." I groaned internally, fixing a smile on my face.

I hated that place. It was creepy and full of ghosts. You couldn't go more than a few feet without skeletons forming and reforming, the bones flying every which way to come together.

She gave me a sympathetic look before glancing over my shoulder. "Did you happen to run into Zafyra?"

Like I was supposed to know who that was...?

"Uh..."

"Nevermind." A grin. "You would know her when you saw her."

"There was someone, but I didn't get a good look at them. They ran past me."

"A whirlwind of motion?" I nodded. "Yeah, that would've been her. That girl can barely sit still."

A jolt went through me, making me rub my temple. It wasn't painful, or even uncomfortable. More... "notice me, notice me" kind of feeling.

"Ah, that would be her joining the guild."

Oh? Interesting. Wait, would that happen every time? Oh, man.

"C'mon." She grabbed my arm, and I watched her expression shift slightly. Concentrating. Focusing on me again, her smile brightened. "She's heading to the house, so we should go there right now. I want everyone to meet her before we all go out tomorrow."

The first thing I noticed, after shutting the door behind me, was the ice blue hair. Long, side swept over the shoulder ice blue hair. A knee-length white dress with black lacy trim, a large ice blue bow just above the butt. Black, almost shoulder-length, gloves with the blue as an intricate cross on top of the wrists, the fingers free. Knee-high white socks with grey stripes and grey kitten heels.

When she turned around, I was still staring at her outfit. The front of it had no less than five more crosses. Two of them ice blue on the knees, two silver ones hanging off the ice blue bow at the chest. The fifth, a black one encased in a silver circle in the center of the bow. She looked like a lolita nun, honestly.

And then, I saw her face. Another Justitia. She had to be, unless she just happened to be from another world, too, or something. The same face as Elreid, only her eyes were white. White eyes and ice blue hair. Even down to how she wore her hair was the same. It was crazy. Merritt might not be blood related, but they looked like triplets.

"Hi! I'm Zafyra! It's nice to meet you!" Hands clasped behind her, she bowed low. Straightening, she motioned toward the others, who were all gathered around her. I hadn't even realized they were there. "I was just telling them that I've been after the bishop for a couple weeks, now. When Elreid and Merritt were nearly banned, the general approached me and asked if I could do some digging. That's my specialty, finding things out. And since he's gone MIA with the prophet... I'm here to help you guys out, since you guys are the ones going after him!"

She was adorable, and I loved her.

"Are you cousins?" Illaria asked, pushing her way through the others to get closer.

"Mhm!" She looked uncomfortable, her smile too wide. A tightness to her eyes. She was clearly lying.

Elreid looped her arm through Zafyra's, leaning down to rest her head on the other girl's shoulder. "She and Merritt are tied at being my favorite cousin."

"How many of you are there, anyway?" The Sorceress laughed, sounding more than a tad snotty. She always got like this, when it came to talking about Elreid's family. She swore it was in jest, but a part of me wondered if she disliked her family for something. Or Elreid, specifically. She was nice to Merritt. Never picked on her.

A finger on her chin, a thoughtful expression on her face, Zafyra went through the counting process aloud. "There's Annalinna, Amareth, Ashylyn, Zorlynna, Sorenna, Zyleen, Kaylanni, Eltia, Elreid, Merritt, and me. So, eleven."

I knew why I liked her. She reminded me of those ditzy girls in anime. I'd never really understood the appeal of someone like that, wouldn't they be super annoying? But now I got it. She was just so adorable, it was endearing.

There were also a lot in the Justitia family. A crazy amount, really, considering she was just naming off girls who all looked the same. So weird.

"That's... wow. You've got a lot of cousins." Alina blinked, startled by the number.

"Yeah. But it's not all "cousins." Annalinna, Amareth, and Ashylyn are sisters. Zorlynna and Kaylanni are, too. And so are Sorenna and Zyleen." Looking over at Merritt, a bright smile on her face. "She and I are the only ones that are only children."

A Few Hours Later

We'd found Bishop Ignacio, alright. We'd spotted him early on, outside of the tomb. Followed him inside, always one step behind. Waded through traps. Fought ghosts and reanimated skeletons.

When we'd reached the Tyrant's actual tomb, thinking we'd cornered him, we found him completing a summoning ritual.

The spirit of the Tyrant. I could've killed him.

While we were distracted with the ensuing fight, he fled. Zafyra close on his heels. In the moment, none of us had even realized she was missing. It wasn't until after the spirit was gone, laid to rest once again, that any of us even noticed.

"She'll be fine. She works best alone, anyway." Elreid assured us. Or herself. Not really sure. "We should go tell General Douglas what happened."

"I'll go." Merritt murmured, looking deep in thought. Holding a conversation with Zafyra, maybe? "Hopefully, by the time I get there, she'll have something to report."

"I'll go with you." I volunteered. I wanted to talk to her privately.

It wasn't long until we split off from the others, just after entering the city limits, and we were alone.

"Did you want to talk about something?" She asked, giving me a sidelong glance.

"Yeah. Do all the Justitia girls know you're not related?" A quiet question, barely loud enough for her to hear, and she was walking next to me.

"Yeah. It was an accident that Annalinna and I met, and Elreid explained to her my situation. Then, they introduced me to all the others. Slowly, not all at once. But they're all very nice, agreed to keep it a secret. And more. They all act like I'm actually family, not just pretending for my sake. It's nice. Helps when I miss my parents."

"That sounds nice. What's your family like?" Hesitant, not wanting to overstep or upset.

A wistful smile, stretching her arms above her head. "My mom and dad are great. They're not my biological parents, my aunt and uncle actually, but they've raised me my whole life. She's quiet and kind. He's like a cheerleader, always full of energy and cheering me on. They've always been there for me, no matter what. One of the first things Elreid did was teach me the mailing system, and it did so much good. I know they're proud of me for doing what I can. Using my abilities to help people. I miss them, but I'm making a difference here. It would be different, I think, if I wasn't doing what I'm doing. If I was just twiddling my thumbs or something, I don't know what-I'd be miserably homesick."

Her home life sounded so nice. It was good that she had people there for her, always on her side. The thought of her, my friend, having the same circumstances as me... I was so glad she didn't.

"What's your life like, back home?" Curious. Turning to look at me, her smile wide.

"It's... ah... not great." I hoped she'd let me leave it at that.

But no such luck.

"Oh. Was it really awful or...?"

"I was somewhere else, before here. Returning home between there and here. I, ah, had all these memories from living at home, when I know good and well that I was in a wholly different world. And, well... most of them were of being ignored or yelled at. When I got back home, nothing changed. I was still treated like I didn't exist or as if I was a burden. So, I made myself small and just blended into the background. Even at school. I don't even know why I was bullied, but I was. Maybe I liked school too much, but that was because the teachers paid attention to me when I raised my hand or asked questions. It was a nice change of pace, going from being invisible to finally being seen. Even if it is just their job." Merritt stopped in her tracks, staring at me with wide eyes. "It's not all bad, though. I learned a couple of languages. And now I've met you guys. It's nice to have people to call "friends" again, you know? I missed that. Something so simple, yet so huge."

She wrapped me in her arms, hugging me tightly. "When we're done telling the general what happened, let's hang out. Just go to a cafe or something."

"That sounds nice."

We shared a smile before continuing on our way.

It only took a few minutes to walk the rest of the way, up those steps and into the castle.

"We lost him, but Zafyra split off and is on his heels."

Speaking of... Her voice filtered through my mind. A group message. "Hey all, he just talked to some elf guy and is getting on a boat at Port Hermalte. They mentioned Lotus Marsh and the Riverwort Warf. I think that's where he's heading now."

Merritt relayed that to Douglas, and he said he'd get started on the paperwork right away for us to be able to work for the castle in Lotus Marsh under the crown. The same process we'd had to go through after the first few missions we'd done, when it became apparent we were doing important things and needing to talk to important people. Just to help us smooth things over before feathers were ruffled, really.

Sending out her own group message, the girl beside me asked if anyone else wanted to have a relaxation day. Where we just hung out and didn't do anything dangerous. Since there was nothing else to do, anyway, now that it was all down to paperwork, there was no better time than the present. Almost everyone said they were interested. Even Black Opal. He wanted nothing more than to do something inane, having been dealing with Lunaria when he wasn't doing missions with us. The only one who wasn’t, was Alina. She said she had something to do first, and that she might join us if she had the time.

Our first stop was the marketplace, somewhere I hadn't gone yet, not having a reason to. They sold _everything_. From enchanted jewelry to apples, you could find whatever you needed here. And the coolest part was that it was more like a farmers’ market than a mall-esque area. It was all things that people had spent time making, whether it was actual farming and raising crops or using their studies to set magic into items. The atmosphere was crazy and wild, a whirlwind of chaotic movement and energy.

I loved it.

Liam pointed out a table to Illaria, and she dragged me over to it. "This! I've been looking for these! They've been sold out for a while, thanks to everything being too dangerous to get ingredients. That's what I've been helping with, getting things for them to make these."

"What are "these"?" I asked, bemused.

"Hair dyes!" A look like I should know, before she bonked herself on the forehead. "Right. You're not from here. Okay. So, you can put this, any color, on your hair, and it'll change to that color. It doesn't matter what your hair was before, it'll be that color once it's absorbed."

"That's... crazy. How do you get your natural color back?"

"Oh, that's easy. They have a "color stripper" that you put on and it magically takes out the dyes you've used."

I wish we had that back home, that sounded amazing.

"Do you wanna try one?"

"I'm not sure." I hedged, taking a glance around the table. There were so many to choose from, I wasn't sure where to even start looking. Plus, I’d never given any thought to dying my hair before.

"I think you'd look _fierce_ with onyx black hair. Ooo, or the opposite. White. Yeah, you'd look good in those." She held up her hands like she was framing me, eyeing my hair. "With those blue eyes, I think maybe an ocean blue, too."

"What are you going for?" Anything to get the topic away. I was starting to feel a growing ball of... fear? Panic? in my chest, and I wasn't sure why. The strangest thing.

"I'm thinking a moss green, personally."

"Oh, that would look so good on you!" Elreid chimed in, throwing her arms around our shoulders. Peering at the table from behind us. "I would love to try a dull ginger, almost like Ana’s hair, with contacts to compliment."

The Sorceress screamed and clapped her hands. "Yes! Contacts! I want to get a few, too!"

"We should just go for it!"

Dawn came from my free side, ducking under my arm, and getting in front of us. Perusing the various dyes, as well.

"You wanna give it a go, too? We should all do it. It'll be fun!" The Lancea was becoming as excited as Illaria, the both of them grinning ear to ear now.

Merritt joined us, then, too. Zafyra in tow. Back from the port. The latter was less than enthused about the plan, opting out, while the other girl was over the moon at the thought of it.

"How do dyes work where you're from?" Elreid asked me, curious. "Do you have dyes?"

"Yeah, we have them. But the color you get is dependent on your hair color to begin with. I've been many different places, but where I'm from, magic doesn't... exist. So, we don't have the ability to make things like this."

"Wow. I wonder what that must be like."

"It sounds miserable." The mage shuddered. Gathered herself and reached out to pick up a tub of green liquid. "I've decided on this one."

"I want this one!" A pretty, faint pink tub was lifted from the table.

The bunny girl rubbed her chin, eyeing them all. Humming. "I want... this one." A deep, dark purple. Darker than Elreid's hair. Almost black.

Merritt picked two, going for an ombre effect. One a dark grey, the other a silvery color.

I was still debating on if I wanted to join in or not, when the woman manning the table pushed the deep ocean one toward me. Glancing up at her, I saw the warm smile on her face.

"I'll take this one." Picked it up and took a good look at it. Wondered if it really would go well with my eyes. I'd never thought about dying my hair before today. Was a little anxious about it.

The others chose their contacts much quicker, basing them off the hair colors they'd picked out.

"HAIRCUT! I need a new style." Illaria pretended to swoon. "I neeeeeeed ittttt."

A tablet with a picture of a hairstyle on it. That was it. That was all you needed. And if you posed for the Sorceress to make an imprint for you, you could have your original style put onto a tablet, too.

So, of course, I was talked into posing and choosing a new cut.

After browsing the wares of the other merchants for another hour or so, we returned home. Where we immediately set about using the dyes.

The way the contacts worked was you put them on, and your eyes became that color, whatever color they were. Again, not dependent on the color you naturally had. Magic, am I right? And you didn't have to remove them before sleeping. They were designed to stay in until you grew tired of them and wanted a change.

Illaria soon had her mossy hair, lengthened and flowing down her back, paired with black contacts. These changed even the whites of her eyes, a special type that cost more. Elreid got her soft, pale ginger locks, unchanged style, and ginger eyes. It looked really good with her complexion. Dawn used her dye on her hair, ears, and tail. A cute little purple rabbit with a bob cut. She'd chosen not to get contacts. Merritt's hair transitioned from dark grey to silver perfectly. I was in awe, wondering how she'd managed it so precisely. Zafyra had opted to get a new hairstyle, tired of the one she had, and had gotten a pixie cut.

My hair, well. It was _different_ , for sure. I wasn't sure if I would ever get used to my new reflection. Deep, dark blue hair, an undercut leveled just below my temples. Stretching all the way around my head, only the top few layers were intact. The same length I was used to. I wasn't sure if I liked it yet or not. I'd decided against the contacts, unsure how they would react to my visions. It was nice, comforting, to know that people could tell when I was having one. If the contacts didn't allow that color to come through, it could cause unnecessary worry. Nosebleeds and dizzy spells.

Alina came home shortly after everything was said and done, quiet.

"Ali?" I bumped my shoulder against hers as we sat at the dinner table, food before us. She hadn't said a word since she'd gotten back, and I was more than a little worried.

"Elreid..." She chewed her lip. "I need to talk to you."


	14. Serpentra's Blood

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 13:

Early Next Morning

We rounded the corner and were hit with a horrific sight. Bodies lay scattered about, some very clearly cut down from behind. Running away from whatever assaulted them. Judging from their attire and the state of them, we’d found those that had been kidnapped.

Elreid tore from us, rushing through. Looking for that familiar face.

We all looked for a man who resembled the description she’d given us. We didn’t find him.

Slowly, we gathered the bodies, lining them up. We’d let Douglas know they were here, when we got back. Their families would be given notification that they were gone, a body to bury.

“What’s...” Zafyra murmured quietly. So much so, that I was only able to hear her because I was right beside her.

She was bent over, picking something up. Dusting it off. It looked like... an envelope?

“Elreid, it’s got your name on it...”

The other Lancea raced over, tripping over her own feet in her haste. She carefully accepted it, her eyes wide. Watery. An eternity passed, where she simply stared at it, before slowly turning it over and breaking the seal. Reading it just as slowly, taking the time to absorb everything written in it.

A Few Hours Ago

“What... Is something wrong?” The Lancea’s expression shifted to worry. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No! It’s not you! I just... Someone told me-” That piqued my interest. Who could it be, that she felt the need to hide who it was? “that the people the Dragon Cultists kidnapped were last seen being held in the ghost town not too far off from Saints Haven.”

Elreid shot to her feet, hands on the table. “What?! They’re sure?!”

“They saw it with their own eyes. I was talking to them about it, asking if they knew anything, and that’s what they told me.”

The only one that came to mind was Velskud. Hmm. Could it be him? He was technically on the opposite side from us, so it would stand to reason that she wouldn’t want to share that her informant was him. It would invite questions she wouldn’t want to answer, for sure.

“Can we...” Eyes wide, she looked around the table at all of us. “Can we please go? See if they’re really there? See if he’s...”

“Who?” Illaria raised an eyebrow, frowning at the interaction.

“My father. He was kidnapped by the Cultists, after sending Eltia and me to Mana Ridge. To deliver the gem to the Clerics, which led them and the Sorceresses to seeing the prophecy about Rose.”

The Sorceress nodded decisively. “I’ll go with you, no matter what everyone else chooses.”

Black Opal snorted. “Like we’d sit out for this one?”

I was beginning to like the assassin. In the few conversations he chimed in on, his personality had really shone through. Sassy.

Various chimes of agreement, everyone eventually saying they wanted to help.

Not even finishing dinner, we all went to get ready. We’d be going tonight, to hopefully prevent the Cultists from deciding to relocate.

Merritt had the foresight to send a message to the general, telling him that there might be refugees that would seek shelter within the city soon. That we were going to a place known to hold people kidnapped by the Dragon Cultists.

Present

The sound of a herd of people caught my attention, and I spun around, facing the noise. Readied my chakram. Everyone, save for Elreid, followed suit, gathering around the Lancea to protect her from whatever was coming our way.

The General came into view first, trailed shortly by a group of soldiers.

We released a collective breath of relief. Merritt went to deal with them, leaving us to stand around the girl still reading the letter.

It took a while for any of us to realize she was just staring at it, glassy-eyed.

“Elreid...? Are you okay?”

She jumped, looking around at us. Eyes wide. Like she’d forgotten we were present.

“I-Ah-I-”

Illaria put a hand on her arm, murmuring something too quiet for me to hear even though the lot of us were standing so close. Whatever she said, the Lancea nodded and let out a gusty breath.

“It’s a letter from my father. I, ah, it says that if I get it, then he’s likely... Yeah. You know? So, I mean... I’m sorry I had us rush all the way out here for nothing, guys.” A weak, forced smile. Tears threatening to spill over.

Everyone went in for the hug at the same time.

Several Days Later

A week passed while we continued to wait for the paperwork side of things to be done. Signatures were needed from each adviser and the king himself, and the wording needed to be exact, apparently. So that no one could find a loophole for keeping us from doing what we needed to do. I didn’t know where everything was at in the process of it all, but it had to be coming to an end soon, right? It couldn’t drag on much longer. I hoped.

During that time, though, something had started happening. Illaria began complaining about nausea. Elreid followed a day later. Then, Liam. Next, were the headaches. Joint pain. Tenderness to touch, bruising easily. Dizziness.

I was passing by Ithilien, when she waved me over.

“Miranolen.” She greeted, bowing her head slightly. “How are the members of Vivid Void?”

I frowned, eyes narrowing at the thought. “Well... Not very good. Illaria, Elreid, and Liam caught a bug. We’re not sure what yet, they’re with a physician. Lady Lena insisted they all see the one employed by the castle, and it’ll be a few hours yet until I expect to hear anything.”

Her expression clouded. “What are the symptoms?”

I went into it, giving all the details I could recall. Her face growing darker and darker the more I said.

“You need to go to Riverwort Warf, to Karacule of Fairystar, and seek out a cure. They were poisoned by Serpentra’s blood.”

“What? That’s a thing?” Had the others been told, when I was with Merritt that day? Why hadn’t I gone with them instead? I could’ve... I don’t know.

Maker, what were we doing? Why couldn’t the adults have stepped up and done something? We weren’t alone in having abilities and prowess. There was a whole square dedicated to the trainers of the various classes, for Maker’s sake!

While I was having my existential crisis, I sent a group message through the guild link, asking if anyone had heard anything about Serpentra’s blood being poisonous.

I was almost home, when the Well whispered through my mind.

_Why didn’t it affect you?_

_Your hands were deep within the flesh when you killed it._

_Why did it affect the others and not you?_

_And why not all of the others?_

I stopped dead in my tracks, the house within sight. Only a few feet away. “I’m sorry? Did you really have to drop that on me right now? I’m already freaking out about so many other things, and you thought to add this to the mix?” And now I was talking to myself in the middle of the street.

_Don’t you think it strange?_

_Don’t you think it odd?_

_You should be sick, as well._

“Maybe it’s because I already have the blight. Speaking of which, I’m starving. I’m going to go to a café nearby, get something to eat. Maybe a lemonade, too. And ignore all of this for the time being. At least until I hear from the others.” Because no one had responded.

Letting my senses reach out, through the guild link, I could feel that most of the others weren’t in town. Elreid, Illaria, and Liam were in the house, in their rooms. Probably asleep again. They’d been sleeping a lot, when their symptoms would let them.

_Could it really be the blight stopping it?_

_Could you be ill and not know?_

_Is that possible?_

_Could that be a thing?_

Maker, when had they gotten so vocal? It was starting to give me a headache.

I went and sat at the café just around the corner from the house, rubbing my temples as I waited for my order. It wasn’t long before the waitress came, setting down my chicken and cheese sub and berry lemonade.

 _Alright. Hit me with it. You’ve clearly got a lot to say. Just say it, while I eat._ I let the thought wind through my head, giving the Well the green light.

There was a moment or two where my words were met with silence. As if they were gathering their thoughts.

_The others-_

_Elreid, Illaria, Liam-_

_They were potentially poisoned by the blood of that beast-_

_But why them and not you?_

_Why them and not the others?_

_Perhaps it needed to be ingested-_

_And not through touch?_

_That would mean the three of them somehow ingested the blood-_

_Perhaps as a mist._

_Perhaps when it died-_

_The blood sprayed-_

_And that’s how they were poisoned._

Or when they'd injured it before I had even gotten there?

_It would be difficult, in the moment-_

_To see tiny particles of blood flying through the air-_

_It would be easy for it to accidentally enter your system._

The way they said it, like they were working through it with me, was always appreciated. Especially when it started out with me not knowing where they were heading.

“Sorry, we were... busy. We should all meet back up at the house. Soon. There’s a lot to talk about.” Merritt’s voice filtered through, overshadowing the Well.

“Alright. I’ll head there soon, then.” I replied, before addressing the Well again. _That has some merit to it, for sure. It makes sense. Definitely makes sense, especially paired with me not being poisoned but having come into contact with the blood._


	15. Another Meeting with Death

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 14:

“And then Velskud showed up,” She didn’t seem surprised that he’d shown up, speaking as if it was a normal occurrence. “and he told us that Serpentra was about _this,”_ She held her fingers super close together, almost touching. “close to transforming into a dragon, because of Geraint’s blood. Since it was the beak that got him, a little blood got in its mouth and it was about to start the process of changing. It would’ve created a nest, and then we’d have needed Geraint’s sword. Which, remember how it went missing alongside Rose? Well, turns out, he snuck into the basement of the castle and took it. It wasn’t Ignacio, luckily. And I say luckily, because it holds a lot of Geraint’s power, according to Velskud. We asked him to give it to us, but he refused.”

“Laughed in our faces.” Dawn added, sounding sore about the situation.

“He also called us trash.” A shrug. “I can’t really argue with that, considering we inadvertently helped release Serpentra.”

“That was because Ignacio-”

She cut Dawn off, shaking her head. “We all knew he wasn’t to be trusted, but we helped him anyway. That’s on us, and we can’t shirk that just because we don’t like it. It happened.” Focused on me again. “He basically admitted to watching us fight it, said something that made me think he wanted Serpentra’s power. He said that it had a little of Geraint’s and his own. Because we found his wing that he’d lost in the dragon fight. And Ignacio had used it in the ritual to summon the beast. I’m pretty sure he waited for us to leave and absorbed the power. So. What did you want to talk about? None of us really caught it, because we were fighting and then talking to Velskud.”

“I was talking with Ithilien, and she told me about Serpentra’s blood being poisonous.”

“Only if its ingested, I believe.”

“Well, she told me-” Elreid, Illaria, and Liam all came downstairs, having heard the lot of us talking. “Hi, guys. Sorry if we woke you all up-that she recognized the symptoms as being poisoned by Serpentra’s blood. She said we needed to go to Riverwort Warf and meet Karacule. Ask her for something to help.”

“Karacule?” Illaria paled, even more so than the illness had already caused. “Oh, hell. I’m going to get yelled at so hard.”

“Why?” Elreid tilted her head, curious. As were we all.

“Because I was on my way to meet up with her, when I got pulled into that whole mess in Mana Ridge. With the missing gem. And then I helped with finding Rose. I was supposed to be there already. She’s going to kill me. You don’t just leave the head of the coven hanging without a word.”

“The head...” I blinked at her. “Well, that makes sense, I suppose. If anyone can help, it would be her, right?”

Two Days Later

Yesterday morning, we’d received word to go see General Douglas. The paperwork was finally done, and he carefully handed it to Merritt. Saying that we should be careful not to lose them, like we lost things frequently or something, because it would be time-consuming to go through the process all over again. None of us argued that. We didn’t want to have to wait another few weeks just for a handful of papers. And that’s really all it came down to. Six papers and a sealed envelope. The latter was for Karacule’s eyes only.

The boat ride took almost the whole day, so we’d had to go directly to Lotus Marsh for rooms to rent, putting off Karacule’s hut for the next day. Today.

Today, I woke up in a cold sweat, out of a dead sleep. A new memory fresh on my mind. Well, old memory, technically. Something I’d known but had forgotten.

The battle of Redcliffe played behind my eyelids, the first time I’d really exercised my magic as a shield. Whether in this life or not, that was the only first time I was aware of. I was... beyond pissed. Where had that knowledge gone? Why hadn’t the Well said anything, reminded me? What the hell happened?!

_We were unable to speak about it._

_We tried._

_Many times._

_But you were deaf to our words._

_Only when we tried to speak of that._

_In particular._

_Something strong must have blocked us._

_Perhaps._

_The Spirit of Death?_

“Death!” I hollered, jumping out of bed. Startling Merritt and Zafyra awake.

They both looked around in alarm, before their eyes settled on me.

“What’s wrong?” The Cleric asked, frowning. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“I need to talk to Death. I’m gonna kill-”

In the span of a blink, I was no longer in the bedroom.

“her.” I finished, feeling more than a little disoriented by the shift in planes.

“You called?” She stepped forward from the shadows, the mask hiding her features. I could hear the smile, though. She seemed friendly enough at the moment.

So, I should act the same, right? Taking a deep breath, I gave myself a mental shake. “Yeah. I just remembered something, and I need to know if you’re the reason I forgot it in the first place.”

“Some things are not meant to be known until the right time. Or until certain situations are in the past.”

“Are you telling me... they _had_ to die?” My hands clenched into fists. “Why?”

She motioned over to something just out of sight, moving toward that direction. I followed silently. What could I say? She was making me play the waiting game.

A small, round table and two chairs, reminiscent of the day Merritt and I had talked about where we were from. She sat, waiting for me to do the same, before speaking again.

“They were meant to pass on, yes.”

Pass on. Those words specifically. Pass on... to something greater, if future Aedethali’s words were anything to go by.

“But why? Couldn’t they have... I don’t know... Elreid is supposed to gain power, too. The same level as theirs. Why couldn’t they have done it the same way?”

“The amount of power they will gain would destroy a mortal vessel. It might just destroy Elreid. Who knows?”

_You do_ , I almost shot back, biting down hard on my tongue to keep my mouth shut.

A new line of thinking, then, since this one probably wouldn’t go much farther.

“I... did I mess something up, by talking to the others? Telling them about what future Aedethali said?”

“Which part, in particular?”

I wanted to punch her. I wanted to punch Death in the face in that moment. She knew exactly what I was talking about, and she was toying with me.

I took a deep breath, shooting out a plea for patience into the universe. “About Aedethali, Zethial, Zofya, all of them coming back. Were the others not supposed to know? Did it affect anything strongly, that I told them?”

“Hmm. Perhaps.” She leaned back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. The picture of relaxed. “The only way to know for certain is to view the two futures, isn’t it? The one where they don’t know versus the one where they do.”

That... wasn’t something I could do... Was it?

“Can I... Do you know how I could do that? I’ve never tried something like that before, looking into the past, to see the future.”

“In time. For now, you should take your victories where you can.” At my confused look, she chuckled and explained. “You were not meant to remember your protection magic until much later. You are indeed a game changer, Miss Anastasia Lotte Snow.”

It shouldn’t have surprised me that she knew my full name, but I was still taken aback. So much so, I jolted upright in my bed. Wide awake.

It was later in the day, the sun shining through the slats on the windows. The other two girls were missing from the room.

After eating, because I was absolutely starving, surprisingly enough, I made my way out to the Warf. Hoping to run into the crew along the way.

I walked around for a couple of hours, not meeting a single soul the whole time. I was just about to head back to the inn, when I spotting a teen boy standing a little distance off, on the path between me and the village. Looking around like he was afraid something would jump out at him.

“Hi, there. Can you help me?”

His eyes fell on me, eyebrows knitting before realization settled. “Oh! You must be Anastasia! Your friends told me about you in case I saw you before they did. It’s nice to meet you! They’re in the Ancient Library right now. You can wait for them in my master’s hut, if you want.”

His master? Karacule, maybe? If that was the case, I wondered how I’d missed a building in this place. It was overgrown, but not so much that I couldn’t have seen it.

“Thanks. Can you tell me if they got the antidote yet?”

He started fidgeting, unable to meet my eye now. “Well, you see, the thing is… It’s actually a life-long disease. My master has the same thing, you see, and we’ve been unable to find a true cure. Just something that slows it down.”

Oh. That was… not something that had occurred to me that could happen. I made a mental note to talk to them later, to tell them about the Wardens and empathize with them. As much as I could, since it wasn’t exactly the same situation.

“Okay. Well. That sucks. Um. Another thing, sorry. How long was I-”

“Oh! Your friends said you literally just _poof_ vanished in front of them, and that was. Hmm. Two days ago?”

I let out a shriek. “What?! She... took _two days_ from me? That... that sucks!”

His eyes went wide as he took a step back.

“Sorry. I just. I was expecting a few hours, not days.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose, taking the time to deep breathe. “Can you tell me where Karacule’s hut is? I, this is embarrassing, I’ve been walking around for hours and haven’t found it.”

“Oh, yeah. It’s tucked away from prying eyes, over this way. I’ll show you.”

With that, he led me down a path to the right, over a small babbling brook. Through a magic barrier that revealed the small hovel. At least it wasn’t that I was just stupid or blind or something like that. You literally couldn’t find it unless you knew where to look. That made me feel better.

“Cidel, you’re back.” The old crone sitting in the armchair in the center of the one room looked up at our entrance. “Oh? So, you’re here, too. Finally. Your friends were worried about you.” A dramatic sniff. “They wouldn’t stop talking about it, actually. How you’d gone missing right in front of their eyes. When they get back, I won’t have to hear it anymore.”

The sound of voices getting louder, people approaching, had me turning toward the door. Footsteps followed shortly after, the door opening to reveal my friends.


	16. A Task from Karacule

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 15:

Everyone had been happy to see me, except for Alina, who’d kept her distance, strangely enough. She wouldn’t meet my eye, either. Something was wrong and, whatever it was, it had something to do with me. Because surely, she’d talk to me if it was about anyone or anything else, right? She did have access to knowledge from the future...

Before I could think too much on it, Elreid and Zafyra had launched right into filling me in.

They’d, obviously, met with Karacule and done a few tasks for her. The affected got their antidotes. Even though it would be a lifelong thing, they didn’t seem to mind. Or at least, they weren’t visibly upset at the mention of it. I know they’d had two days more than me to come to terms with it, but that seemed like too short a timeframe to me. Then again, I’d accepted the Grey Warden thing rather quickly, too, so I couldn’t judge them.

“And we got to see Kay again, though I’m not sure if you ever actually met him.” Elreid was saying as she tapped her chin, looking thoughtful. “He’s with... my father’s organization, and he’s crushing on Eltia.”

Judging from how her expression shifted to disdain when she said that, like it left a sour taste in her mouth, it was safe to say, “You don’t like that.”

Letting it go that she clearly didn’t want to talk about her father’s organization. Whatever it was. Probably illegal. Could be where they got all their money. I mentally chided myself for jumping straight to that conclusion.

“None of us do. Justitias, I mean. Except for Eltia. She’s head over heels in love with him. We like him well enough, but there’s always been something... _off_ about him. Something none of us can put a finger on.”

A quick glance proved that the other girls’ faces had indeed switched to the same expression. They all couldn’t stand him. Well, when that many people got a bad vibe off someone, it was reason enough to listen to it and be careful around them.

“Anyway...” Merritt put an end to the conversation as she turned to the woman sitting in the chair. “We brought back everything you asked for, Lady Karacule.”

“Good, good. Finally, a useful group of adventurers.” She sniffed, adding in a mutter. “Unlike some.” A fleeting glance over at Illaria.

Man, she was still miffed at her, huh. Was there a way to repair that bridge, or had the young Sorceress burned it beyond help? Yet another thing for me to ask about.

It wasn’t much longer before Karacule sent them out for yet another handful of things. Things you could only get out in the wild marshes.

“You, stay.” Singling me out, waiting for everyone else to leave. “You, too, Cidel. Shoo. Go.”

“Mistress...”

“Don’t “Mistress” me, boy. Go.” A wave of her hand, and the door flew open. Showing him exactly where he could go. Out.

The silence in the room was tense as the boy made his way out, the door slamming shut behind him. Another few minutes passed, where she pointed to the stool beside her and I sat. Quietly. Waiting for her to be the first to speak. It seemed like she was waiting for all other ears to be out of range. I wondered if she had wards up to let her know when people were outside the door, because I could sense that Cidel was standing at the door. As soon as he walked away, she started speaking.

“I want you to follow him.”

“What?”

“You’re sneakier than that ninja they keep, by far. His talents lie elsewhere, but you. You have the skills for sneaking in and out, unnoticed.”

“I’m sorry, how do you know that?” Unless Alina had said something? I didn’t think the others knew about that. Well, they might have an inkling, between telling them about sneaking into the enemy base with Geraint and the fight with Serpentra, where I was invisible. Okay. Maybe they knew more than I’d given them credit for.

“Hey.” She snapped her fingers. “Don’t get lost in that head of yours right now. I’m telling you to do something.”

My eyebrows shot up, and I stared at her, bewildered. That was not the way to get someone to do something for you.

“Yes, ma’am.” I’d meant it to come out sarcastic, but it sounded more like obedience.

“That’s more like it.” A nod of approval. “I want you to follow him, and when you find Charti, you’ll know who she is immediately by that stupid sappy look on his face, follow her. I want to know what she’s up to.”

“I can do that. Do I get to know why? Or is this a “don’t ask questions” kind of mission?”

“Don’t ask questions.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Got it. When do you want me back?”

“Hours or days, doesn’t matter to me. I want to know everything about her movements. Who she talks to, what she does. All of it.”

“Keep a notebook, got it.”

“Now, get going.” She waved toward the door. “I’ve got to powder my nose. You don’t stay this young and beautiful without effort.”

I bit my tongue against saying she wasn’t either of those and chose to leave silently.

It hadn’t taken long at all to catch up to him, cloaked in shadows as I was, because he was literally only a few paces away from the door. I wanted to laugh, but that would’ve given me away. Or made him think there was a ghost around. Which would’ve been funny to see, him losing his mind about a ghost. He seemed the type that would be easily startled and jumpy.

After several _long_ hours of trailing after him, watching him try his best to stealth through the camps that the monsters and Dragon Cultists, respectively, had set up and helping with a bit of magic because he was _so_ bad at it, we reached a clearing that had actual grass in it. Not the soupy marsh floor. It was a nice change.

From the trees, came a Dromaji, and I perked up. Was this Charti?

“Stupid Cidel, I keep telling you to leave me alone. Go away. I don’t want you here.” She snarled at him.

Wow, okay. What was their relationship, if she spoke to him like that?

One look at the Sorceress, though, and I knew. He was one hundred percent in love with her. Judging from how she talked, I was sure it was one-sided. Sadly. They would’ve made a cute couple.

“Charti-” Well, if I’d need any more proof, here it was. “please. What happened?”

She hesitated, opening her mouth several times, before ultimately deciding to be an ass again. “Shut up. I don’t need a _human’s_ help. What makes you think you can do anything? You’re wrapped around your mistress’s finger, you can’t do anything on your own.”

Harsh.

He visibly flinched at the venom in her words, taking a step back. “Charti...”

“Go. Go away and leave me alone, _human_.”

And that was my cue to part ways with the Sorceress, poor thing. I couldn’t imagine having a loved one talk to me like that. Then again, when I was home, my mom just ignored my very existence, so...

I gave myself a mental shake, refocusing on the task at hand. This wasn’t the time to throw a pity party, especially when I had no idea when, or if, I’d be going back home. Besides, this was technically home. Give or take a few centuries and lifetimes, but still.

The girl stopped and whirled around, eyes scanning the shadows around her.

“I can smell you. I can’t see you, but I know you’re there, stupid. Whoever you are, you can leave.”

Her nose was good. I was legitimately startled by her sudden movements, thrown off by the fact that she _knew_ I was following her. She stood there for a long while, scowling at her surroundings.

“I told you to go away!”

Someone stepped out from the trees behind her. A hulking mammoth of a man.

“Oh? My feelings. I came all this way to find you, when you didn’t show up, and here you are, telling me to go away! How rude!” His tone was jovial, and he gave a light laugh.

“Karahan!” Her whole countenance shifted drastically.

Immediately upon hearing his voice, her expression exploded into a huge smile. An awestruck look, like he was her hero.

“Yes, it’s me, in the flesh. Bask in my glory. Now-”

Her head shook rapidly, her voice low. “Be careful what you say. Someone’s out there, they’ve been following me. I can’t see them, but I can smell them.”

“Oh, I know. I know who they are, as well. Trust me, they’re safe. Just keeping an eye on you, darling. I said it just a moment ago, you were late.” The way he phrased it made it sound like he’d sent me to check on her. Interesting. Who was this man?

“Oh.” I could hear the embarrassment in her voice. She threw out an “I’m sorry” over her shoulder at me.

“Now, may I speak?” She didn’t say anything else, just nodded her head. I moved closer, wondering if he could actually see me or not. How’d he know I was there, too, and why had he vouched for me? I was curious about what he had to say. “About the sickness, I’ve been doing research, and I believe if I modify what Karacule is doing, I should be able to make, at the very least, the foundation for the cure.”

“What?!” Charti gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Her eyes starting to water.

Were they poisoned, too? Her and her... kin? Family? I didn’t want to sound rude, even in my own head, but I wasn’t sure who they wanted to cure. And of what.

“You’re serious?” The tears were flowing, now. “I- Thank you, Karahan.”

“Only a fool thanks someone before the job is done.” He chided her. “And you’re no fool.”

“Right, right.” She swiped at her eyes fiercely, giving him a determined look. “I’m not a fool, and I’m not weak.”

Oh. Now I felt bad for being here. She was clearly going through something, and-

_I don’t trust him._

_There’s something wrong about him._

_There’s a foreboding around him._

_Be careful with this one._

Alright. I could feel my heartbeat picking up with that, my blood pressure rising and making me feel uncomfortably warm. I hadn’t noticed it before, but there was a... black aura surrounding him. I don’t know how I’d missed it, but now that I’d seen it, alarm bells started ringing in my head.

Who was this guy?

“For now, try to get that Cidel to hand over the recipe, will you?”

“I’ll do my best!”

She straight-up hero-worshiped this man. Well, if someone came to me, saying they could cure the Blight, I might have looked at them like that, too. Afterward, of course. He must’ve done something huge to win that kind of adoration.

I couldn’t wait for her to leave, so I could talk to him.

“This is where we part for the evening, I’m afraid, but I will see you again soon. Be safe.” With that, he flicked his fingers toward where she and I had come, effectively dismissing her.

With a strong nod, she turned and disappeared into the trees.

“Now, uncloak yourself, Anastasia.” Eyes squarely on me.

What the hell?

Doing as I was told, I let the shadows slip from my grasp, looking up at him with what I’m sure were saucer-wide eyes.

“Good girl.” He started walking, away from where Charti had gone, motioning for me to follow. “Come.”

Was I a dog? Ugh. Still, I followed after him. There was just something about his presence, demanding to be obeyed. It was dangerous. It was like, now that Charti was gone, he was unleashing it full-force. That’s what it felt like, anyway. Whatever the case, I found myself walking beside him, waiting for him to speak.


	17. The First Talk with Karahan

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 16:

He led me to a little cabin, out in the middle of nowhere. I was going to have a hard time finding my way back, that was for sure.

“You’re in a guild, right? I’m sure you can follow your little mental map back to your friends.” He said, waving his hand through the air dismissively. As if he had read my thoughts.

I blinked, pausing mid-step. Should I really be following him? Why was I? I was only supposed to be following- Charti! Dammit. Would Karacule be angry? What was she like when she was angry? Was she mean? Cruel? Did she torture people?

“Slow down there, champ.” My eyes darted to his face, finding a slight frown. “Come inside and relax a spell, won’t you? We can have a friendly chat.”

Relax a spell? I snorted. It was such a lame play on words, it was funny.

I hesitated and realized I had control over myself again. Well, I really didn’t want to hunt around for the Dromaji girl, and he had something to say. So, I chose to go inside, sitting on one of the stools by the makeshift fireplace.

He puttered around for a bit, quietly. A mug hovering in front of me made me jump-I’d been staring into the fire and hadn’t noticed the man coming to sit on the stool beside mine. Currently, his eyes were on me, studying me.

“I appreciate it.” I murmured, peering into the drink.

“It’s hot chocolate. A woman taught me how to make it, oh, I don’t know... A few decades ago.”

That seemed like an odd thing to just throw out there, but then again, he seemed like an odd fellow himself.

“Okay.”

“She was about this tall,” He held up a hand, marking around 5 feet. He was so big, that he easily reached up for it, not really having to stretch at all. I felt like a dwarf compared to him, and he was sitting down. Him standing was nothing to laugh at. Tall as a tree. I gave myself a mental shake, frowning. _Focus._ “and she had fiery hair. And the clearest blue eyes. Almost as beautiful as myself, and that’s saying something. I’m the most beautiful thing in existence.”

“I’m sorry. Are you...” My frown deepened. He was talking about- “talking about future me?”

“Ah, you _are_ sharp.” It sounded like an insult, but his expression was clear. He gave a wink. My face heated. He was definitely making fun of me.

“What did you want to talk about? I doubt you drew me in here, just to talk about my future self. Unless there’s more to the meeting.” I leaned toward him, eyes narrowed.

“There’s not much to tell, really. You saved my life. Begrudgingly, admittedly, but you did it, all the same. And now, here we are! I can do something to get rid of this gross debt. Now, what would you like?” His stare turned expectant, like he expected me to just... name something.

“I, ah, don’t know. Probably something to do with saving someone else, I’m sure. I’ll let you know, when I think of something.”

“Boo, that’s no fun.” He tried to cross his arms, which was comical because he was holding a mug of his own. He gave up with a huff and took a huge gulp from the cup.

I followed suit. It looked like hot coco, and it smelled like hot coco. So, it had to be hot coco, right?

“Oh, man. This is good. How did I show you?”

“Ah, ah. That’s cheating. Unless that’s your one wish.”

“Ah, no. Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll figure it out on my own.”

“The only really rewarding thing, to be sure. Doing something on your own.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing. Forget I said anything. Why don’t we talk about how beautiful I am?”

My eyebrows rose in surprise, and I eyed him up and down. “You’re not my taste, especially your attitude.”

“You mean because I’m vain.”

“Well, yeah. That and you’re... How old are you, exactly?” I was thinking he was, oh, maybe twenty-three.

“Seventy-three.”

“I-” I choked on my coco. “Sorry, what?”

“I’m a Sorceress, that’s what we’re known for. Being beautiful. And knowing it.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m surprised you’re just now asking that. Tsk tsk. You should know better than to follow strangers, girl.”

“Just tell me who you are.” I rolled my eyes, starting to get annoyed with him.

“Alright, then. I am Karahan, Karacule’s brother.”

“You’re... related to her? Wait, I thought you said Sorceresses were known for being beautiful, but she’s-”

“We are. She, however, was poisoned by Serpentra, back in the day. The poison eats at you, you know. And now, well, she looks like that.”

That was going to happen to my friends..?

“Drink, drink. Doesn’t taste the same cold. You know,” He took a sip, a twinkle in his eye. A smirk forming on his lips. “you don’t change much, really.” I blinked, caught off-guard by the change in subject. And the subject matter, for that matter. “You didn’t put up with my shit then, and you don’t now. Although, I guess it’s now and later, hmm. Either way, it’s refreshing. Kind of. Annoying, but refreshing. Someone not falling all over themselves to do my bidding. _Begging_ to do my bidding.”

“Like Charti.” I tossed out, pursing my lips. Showing just how much I didn’t like what I’d seen earlier between them. “What did you do for her, that has her so wrapped up in you?”

“Oh, that? Not much. Just promised to help her cure her kind of the poisonous taint that’s been all over the place lately. That’s what’s wrong with her arm, you see. And quite a few people in her tribe are sick, as well. But they’re not as lucky as her. If you can call her lucky, that is.”

“Do you actually know how to-”

“I’m working on it, and there’s nothing the Great Karahan can’t do, once I set my mind to it.”

“And what do you get out of it? I can’t picture you as a charity worker.”

“How you wound me! We’ve barely met, and already you’re judging my character. Tsk tsk. Just a moment ago, you didn’t even know my name.”

“Just tell me, already.”

“You’re no fun.” He sniffed, feigning hurt, before grinning. “Though you’re not wrong. I don’t do things for free. _For anyone._ ” Like that was a warning directed specifically toward me. Weird. As if I would ask this guy for anything, short of that favor he owed me. And even then, it would have to be something I couldn’t hope to do without him. “The tribe houses a dragon gem, and I want it.”

“A dragon gem..? Which one?” I was leaning toward him again, eager.

“The green dragon’s gem, if you must know. Now, you’re not going to stop me from getting it, are you?”

“Depends. Are you a good guy or a bad guy?” I raised an eyebrow, staring him down.

He laughed loudly, for some time, putting a hand on his stomach as if it ached. “Why would I go telling you that?”

“Well, you can’t be _all_ bad, if future me saved your life. And if I taught you how to make hot coco. That’s sacred.” I nodded sagely, wondering why the Well hadn’t voiced its opinions on this guy yet. Or any part of this conversation, really. “Just out of curiosity, are you using magic, right now, to block other magic?”

“Hah.” He barked another laugh. “You caught me. But it’s just so those friends of yours don’t crash our little party. It doesn’t block those pesky voices in your head.”

Yikes, how much had future me told him? He honestly couldn’t be _that_ bad then. Right?

Wait a second. I gave myself a mental shake. One of many since I’d come to Lagendia. And definitely wouldn’t be the last, I was sure.

“My friends, will they end up like Kasarana? Withered and frail?”

“Ah, that. There’s a high probability of that happening, yes. Of course, if you were to find a real cure, like say... something only you can do.” Not subtle, this one. I immediately got what he was saying-there was clearly something only I could do for this. But what. Maybe I’d have a meeting or something with the Well, possibly include the spirit, and see what we could come up with. There might be a lot of experimentation, but, hey. If I could do it, I had to try.

“You know, for someone who doesn’t do things for free, you’re awfully loose with your information.”

“Oh, it’s not free. You do a lot for me, Anastasia.” My face heated at the way my name sounded, coming from him.

What was that? That was so weird. And I hoped it never happened again. That was way too weird for me.

“Ah, I believe it’s time we concluded our little party and went our separate ways. For now.” He waved his hand, and the door swiftly opened. It was dark outside. I’d lost more than a couple hours here, it looked like.

“Alright. Just. Don’t do anything too dastardly.”

“I won’t, if you tell me when you find your cure. It could help the Dromaji here.”

“Deal.”

He reached out a hand, and we shook on it. A jolt ran through my body, and I looked up at him with wide eyes.

A wink. “Don’t worry. That was just some magic to seal the deal.”

Oh. So, he really couldn’t do anything too terrible. Good. That put me at ease, if only a little. At least it was something. Now, the bigger problem.

Did I tell the others about our talk?


	18. Catching Up

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 17:

“And then I lost her.” I was in Karacule’s hut, telling her what had happened. Well, lying about it, but still. I wasn’t sure what I should or shouldn’t say, so I’d opted to say nothing.

Her eyes narrowed, studying my face. Looking for any sign I wasn’t telling her everything. I kept my expression the same. Blank. Guileless.

Satisfied, she heaved a great sigh and leaned back in her chair. “A shame. Maybe next time.” Next time? She wanted me to do it again? “Whenever Cidel leaves, I want you to follow him.”

“I can do that. Well, as long as I’m not busy, anyway.” If I was asleep or something, I obviously wouldn’t be following him.

“We’re baaaack!” Zafyra exclaimed as she led the others through the door.

I was surprised, at first, that so many of us could fit into such a small space. But this time, I watched as the room seemed to... expand around us. As if it was a bubble and it was getting bigger and bigger the more we brought in. Made sense, seeing as how she was a Sorceress. I mean, Illaria could make black holes appear wherever she wanted. That was essentially bending the space around her magic at her will. It could definitely be applied to this, if it was done, well, backward.

I wondered if she could teach me that. Or if Illaria knew how. Or was willing to learn. It would be great for camping.

“Good, good. Did you bring everything I asked for?” Wait, it had taken them all afternoon and evening to retrieve what she’d wanted? What the hell had she asked for?

“Yup!” She gently placed a bag at the old woman’s feet, returning to her place in front of the others.

Something about her position made me think it was more for protecting them than just casually standing there.

Interesting. I’d have to ask about that.

“Good, everything’s here.” Without even looking at the contents, she was saying that. Must be a perk of being a Sorceress.

You know... I had magic. Was I a Sorceress? There were so many things that were suddenly occurring to me, since arriving in Lagendia, and so little time for figuring anything out.

Wow. Okay. Time to focus, Ana.

_ You should talk to the others soon. _

_ We need to know what we’re dealing with. _

_ What we’re to do. _

_ What we’re being tasked with. _

All good points.

“Anyway, we should get back to the inn. Everyone’s tired and hungry.” A look at me. Like, a _look_. “Are you coming, too, Ana?”

“Yeah.” I shook my head, heat filling my cheeks. “I think haven’t eaten today.”

“So, you haven’t eaten in two days?!” Merritt stormed toward me, looped her arm through mine, and dragged me from the hut.

Once we were all safely back in one of the rooms, the one Illaria, Alina, Elried, and Dawn were staying in, everyone seemed to let out a breath.

“Finally.” Merritt sighed again, sitting on the floor against one of the beds.

Everyone followed suit, until I was the only one left standing. They all sat on the floor. Weird. I shrugged and sat between Illaria and Dawn, against the middle bed.

“Okay, so. At first, she’d wanted us to gather stuff, to make a potion that would help slow the poison. She said there was no outright cure, but the potion would slow it enough that they wouldn’t really feel it for a few years.” The Cleric waved her hand toward the three of them.

They’d been sticking together like glue, other than parting to sleep.

_ Maybe you could purify it. _

_ Who knows? _

_ Maybe you have that ability. _

_ Since you weren’t afflicted, as well. _

_ I wonder if they’re curious about that. _

_ You were covered in Serpentra’s blood, after all. _

_ And yet, you’re not ill. _

Hush. We’ll get to that. The possibility had occurred to me on the way back from talking to Karahan, but... What if I _couldn’t?_ What if I tried all my might, and it amounted to nothing? I wouldn’t tell the others about it as an option, of course, not until I knew for certain, but I would be devastated.

“What else did she send you for? When I got there, she sent you guys away again.”

“That was to get ingredients for something Trainer Marsala and Karacule were working on together. Some kind of tonic for the injured.”

“What did she have you do?” Dawn asked, tilting her head.

“Me? She wanted me to follow Cidel. He was supposed to lead me to a girl, her name is Charti, and I was supposed to follow her. But I. She met someone along the way, his name’s Karahan. He knew I was there, watching. And he’s a Sorceress. And he, I think he used some kind of magic on me, because I couldn’t leave. I found myself going to him, instead. He dropped whatever it was before asking me if I wanted to talk and led me into a cabin out in the middle of nowhere. Honestly, I’m not sure I could find it again, if I had to.”

“Oh, we met Charti. She seems... nice.” Elried offered.

Dawn snorted. “If by “nice,” you mean a bitch, then yeah. She’s swell. I hate how she talks to Cidel.”

“And he eats it up! I don’t get it!” Alina was fuming, throwing her hands up in the air.

“Is it because he’s a Sorceress?” Elried glanced at our resident Sorceress.

“What? I’m not like that. Someone tried talking to me like that, they’ll find themselves hexed. I don’t put up with that from anyone. Probably why other Sorceresses don’t like me much.” She rolled her eyes. “We’re raised to think we’re superior and all that. To demean people. But really, we’re no better than anyone else. They just want us to think we are. It’s stupid.”

“Sorceresses are _supposed_ to be mean?” I gaped, blinking dumbly. “What?”

“Yeah, it’s how we’re raised. I don’t know why or when it started, but apparently, it’s always been that way.”

“Cidel was nice to me, though.”

“He was?!” Zafyra exclaimed. Suddenly, I had everyone’s attention. “What?”

Illaria wagged a finger at me. “Don’t let Karacule know, she might punish him.”

Shortly after that, the barmaid knocked on the door. Our food was here. We talked a bit more, going over the details of their missions and what had happened during.

They’d met Charti, as well, yesterday. She’d been as pleasant with them as she had been with Cidel, unsurprisingly.

When they were done, the spotlight was on me. I hesitated, unsure what to say. Then, I remembered we had Black Opal. Who literally time traveled. Whether or not Alina had told she could see the future with her gadget, there was always him to reference.

So, I told them everything, without sparing any details.

“Future you?” Merritt frowned. “How do you know he’s trustworthy?”

“Well, I dyed my hair before coming here, for one.” I pointed out the obvious. “Aside from that, well, does hot chocolate even exist in Lagendia? I haven’t seen it on any menu yet.”

“No, it doesn’t.” She shook her head, the frown deepening.

“What’s this “hot chocolate,” anyway? It sounds like... melted chocolate?” Elried asked, trying to work it out in her head. From her expression, she wasn’t making much headway.

“It can be. A lot of people like it powdered, instead of liquid. You put it in milk or water, and it makes a nice chocolatey drink. I love it. I’ll teach it to you guys, if you want.”

“Oh, yes, please! I love chocolate!” Zafyra clasped her hands to her chest dramatically. “It’s sooo good!”

_ Ask them how they feel about the old woman. _

_ They seem like they don’t trust her. _

_ Why? _

_ Is there something we’re missing? _

_ We do not have all the information. _

“Oh, that’s right.” Without any finesse, I just blurted it out. “Back there, at the cabin, you guys seemed really guarded. And it looked like it was directed toward Karacule.”

“There’s a reason I didn’t go straight to her and start my training for my second specialization.” Illaria sighed, hugging herself. Elried wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “It’s not just how they treat everyone, including other Sorceresses. It’s... Everything is set in stone, you know? Like, they wanted me to lead the coven, but I don’t want to. And I never will. There’s no way, not with how much pressure goes with the job.” A pause. “I didn’t go, because...” She trailed off, squeezing her arms tighter.


	19. A Bit of Illaria's Story

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 18:

“It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to.” The Lancea gave her a kind smile.

“No, it’s okay. I should probably get it out there.” I’ll admit, I had been curious. With the mailing system the way it was, instantaneously sending letters, there was no excuse for not keeping in contact, at the very least. “Well, okay. So, my family is well-known and well-liked in the coven. Like a lot of families, we’re lucky, in that our magic is hereditary. I’m one of the strongest Sorceresses my trainer has ever seen, apparently. So, I was being trained really rigorously, to be head of the coven one day. When Karacule passes. But I was also always treated like shit. Told I would never amount to anything if I couldn’t do this or I couldn’t do that. I’m not a prodigy by any means. I work hard to be as good as I am.” She took a deep breath. “There’s a dark side, to the coven. And I mean, more than just being awful to everyone. Quite a few of the members work with demons and other monsters, gaining greater forms of magic through the connections. They wanted me to do it, too. They said I’d be unstoppable. All I want to do is travel with world and try different foods along the way. With you guys, I get to do all that and more! I actually _help_ people, and there’s no hidden agenda behind it!”

Pacts with demons. Wow. That was. Oddly reminiscent of Thedas. Only, there were no Templars here to police them. At least no one had destroyed the world yet, right? That had to mean they weren’t terribly power hungry.

“So, well, that’s why I didn’t fancy the thought of seeing Karacule. I’m honestly surprised she hasn’t laid into me or demanded I pick back up on my training.”

“Maybe she’s training Cidel to-”

She laughed, a bitter sound. “Male Sorceresses are generally treated as pariahs. I’m not sure when it started, since there are loads of restricted books about them being super powerful, without having to resort to pacts.”

“Oh. So, your dad...”

“He’s just a normal guy who fell for a Sorceress. Though I can’t see why. She’s such a bitch to him. And everyone else around her.”

Maybe she was nicer to him than she was anyone else? Still, that seemed wrong. To fall in love with someone who belittled you and treated you like crap. It reminded me of the stereotype for a teenage girl’s first love, actually.

“Anyway.” She waved a hand in front of her, in a move on gesture. “Someone else take the talking stick. I’m done.”

“Lunaria wants to meet everyone.” Black Opal spoke up, surprising everyone. He wasn’t the most talkative, barely saying a word most of the time.

“She what? Really?” Merritt blinked.

“Isn’t she the one that you time travel with?” Illaria frowned.

“Yeah.” He nodded, a single jerk of his head. Like he dreaded bringing it up.

“So, I’ll go do something else during that meeting.” I said, bemused.

“Probably best, yeah.”

“Wait, why?” The Cleric was frowning now.

“She kinda hates me. Something to do with the past, but I don’t remember the interaction.”

The Assassin’s eyes darted away from me, and I almost facepalmed. Of course! He would know, wouldn’t he? Why hadn’t I thought to ask him before? Had I, and he just avoided the question? No, I was pretty sure I hadn’t asked.

Something dripped onto my leg, and I glanced down to see blood just as the vision hit.

An old man, Dromaji from the ears, was laying in Charti’s arms. Gasping for air. Dying. She was crying and shouting that she was sorry she hadn’t made in time. That someone would pay for what they’d done. Karacule’s name fell from her lips, covered in venom.

The scene twisted, showing me Charti and Karahan talking amicably. Cidel and the others burst into the area, accusing Karahan of using Charti to get whatever the clan was hiding. Charti’s outfit was different, taking on the same colors the old man had been wearing. The elder of the clan, no doubt. Which could possibly make her the new leader.

A blink in the program, and Charti was holding the gem. Green and black ooze swarmed her feet, quickly working its way up her body until she was fully encased. And then her form was gone. Disappeared as if she’d never been there to begin with.

It switched to Karahan standing in the doorway of the cabin, looking out at the horizon. Something in my direction caught his attention, and he winked.

I came back to myself, sitting with the others. Merritt holding a handkerchief to my nose.

I had to talk to him again. That was the one thing I knew for certain. The rest of it... It played out like it was supposed to happen, but I was seeing it. What good was it to see it, if I couldn’t change it?

Giving myself a mental and physical shake, I smiled weakly and moved her hand away. “I’m okay. Just another vision. It’s fine.”

“What did you see?” Zafyra was on her stomach, chin in hands. Staring at me like I was something curious.

_ Don’t tell them. _

_ I fear you should keep quiet. _

_ Until you talk to Karahan. _

_ Something in this vision- _

_ Unsettles us. _

_ Something is not right. _

_ It’s very wrong. _

_ We need answers- _

_ Before we can share. _

Vocal. Alright, then.

“I’m... not sure?” I bit my lip, putting on a show. Looked confused. “It was all jumbled, and I couldn’t make heads or tails of it all. Sometimes, they come in more of a... what’s the word. Interpretive. They come in more of an interpretive kind of way. A puzzle to solve.”

“Oh.”

The disappointment in the room was palpable. They’d been expecting me to say something about what was currently going on. Or something we could prevent.

I wasn’t sure what it was saying, but I knew I had to seek out that Sorceress.

Nighttime

I’d waited until everyone had gone to bed and snuck out. Well, I’d thought everyone had retired. I came down the stairs to see Black Opal sitting at one of the inn’s tables.

“Going somewhere?” He asked quietly when I got near.

I nodded my head. “I need to see Karahan.”

He knew the ins and outs of time travel. Of keeping things to yourself for the betterment of others. Right?

His head swayed up and down as he stared into his glass. He didn’t say anything else.

“Thanks.” I murmured as I walked to the door.

“Be careful.” His words followed me out into the warm night.

Surprisingly enough, it didn’t take me long to find the cabin. I’d thought for sure I’d spend hours looking for it, but nope. It was as if I was being guided, though, and that thought worried me. Just what kind of magic did he have at his disposal?

“Karahan.” I called out softly, knocking on the door. “I need to talk to you.”

“Come in, come in.” The door swung open, revealing him sitting at the little table in the living room. Lounging comfortably on one of the two armchairs. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

His eyes moved up and down my body, but not in a sleezy kind of way. More of a sizing me up. As if he was taking stock of me.

“I had a vision.”

“The one of Charti dying?”

“What? No. Close. There was-”

“Sit, sit.” A wave of his hand toward the chair opposite him. “Relax.”

Rolling my eyes, I did as I was told. Stared pointedly at him until he gave a satisfied nod. I could talk now.

“There was an old man, and he died. Charti was there. She said she would get revenge on Karacule for his death.”

“Ah, she is one to jump to conclusions, isn’t she? I love that about her.” He said fondly, like he was talking about a pet.

Alright.

“She also turned into a sludge monster? I’m not sure what happened with that, really. It happened too fast for me to really get a grasp on.”

“Oh, I know what’s happened. That vision of yours ended too soon.”

“Too soon?”

“Mhm.” He lifted a hand mirror and gazed into it for several seconds, before winking at his own reflection and returning to the conversation.

“There’s _so_ much I could teach you, little one.”

I leaned back, examining him. “Do you, though? Or do you just hold it over me like a cat toy?”

“As much as I’d love to see you swiping at something just out of reach, yes. I do teach you a few things. Where do you want to start?”

“What-Like right now? Wait. I don’t know.” This was happening so fast. “What do you start with?”

“Mmm. How about...” He put a finger to his chin, expression thoughtful. “Oh, I know! How about we start with those visions of yours?”

“Okay. Seems like a good place as any. What about them?”

“I forget, do you know how to force them yet?”

“Sometimes, I can. Other times, no matter how hard I try, I can’t make them happen.”

“Well, here’s a secret: it’s not about forcing something you want to see. You have to coax the universe to show you something that it’s willing to.”

“Like, bribe the universe?” I asked doubtfully. That didn’t sound right.

He laughed, a belly laugh, shaking his head. “No, no. It’s more of asking for it to reveal the information you want, that it’s comfortable with giving.”

“Oh. How do I do that?”

“Exactly as it sounds. That vision you just had, for example, you could’ve asked for it to be longer. “Please show me the whole vision.” Simple as that. Talk to it like you would if you were praying, I guess. People do that, right? Pray to gods?”

Taking a deep breath, feeling more than a bit silly, I closed my eyes and mentally reached out... to something. Anything. A warm feeling enveloped me, and I was so startled, I opened jumped out of my seat.

“Please, show me the vision again. The one I just had. But make it longer. As much as you’re willing to show me.”

Several seconds ticked by, turning into minutes. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there, silence lingering between us. I could only imagine that he’d grown bored and was watching his reflection again.

Slowly, a light approached behind my eyes, becoming unbearably bright when it stopped just in front of me. Wait. I could see me. Myself. Unsure what to do, I thought about reaching out and touching the orb. I watched myself raise my arm. Oh. Like a puppet, almost. Both hands came up and rested lightly on the surface. Little by little, the light crept up along my limbs, eventually taking me inside of it.

I still wasn’t sure what was going on, to be honest, but I’d seen weirder.

It... I was one hundred percent sure I wasn’t having a vision as the scene came into focus.

I was on a raised platform that was hovering in the air with what I imagined to be magic, standing before a statue of Altea with my hands clasped in front of me. Praying.

“And then, we broke bread, and it was a good time. I’m glad I have today to remember when it gets hard. Thank you, Goddess.” I opened my eyes and smiled up at it.

It was me, but...

_ Reminiscent of you from the vision of the past. _

The other voices made noises of agreement.

Okay. Wasn’t sure how they could tell the difference, but I’ll go with it.

She looked over her shoulder just as a portal-looking thing opened and out stepped-

My jaw fell open. I’d never seen Black Opal and Lunaria walk through time before. It was strange. Did I do that? Open a real, physical portal?

“You’re here.” Came the cold words from the white-haired girl. Her expression was the same. A cold, dead stare. “You should’ve fled, when you had the chance.”

“I’m not going to fight you, Luna.”

“Don’t call me that!” She hissed, taking a step forward. The Assassin’s arms snaked out, wrapping around her waist to hold her back. “Let me go!”

“You two shouldn’t fight.” Was the only reply she got.

“Don’t tell me what to do! She’s the reason you die!”

I balked, my eyes wide as I watched. I _what?_

A serene smile settled on my-her-whatever’s lips. “If you could look beyond your grief, you’d know that’s not true. Feder is.”

“Liar! He’s helped me! He wouldn’t do that!”

“He also wants nothing more than to destroy everything Altea has worked so hard for. And that includes all of her dreams, not just a few.” Her hand raised and gestured toward Opal. “That includes him, as well.”

“Don’t talk about him!”

“He’s the subject of the conversation, isn’t he? How can I not?” A soft laugh, before quickly shifting into a sad expression. “We were sisters... I’m sad to see this is the path you’ve taken.”

Lunaria quite literally growled, her eyes beginning to fill with inky blackness. “SHUT UP!”

Her form blinked, reappearing right in front of past me, enraged beyond reason. She grabbed me by the throat, squeezing hard. I could feel the ghost of the grip.

“We’re not sisters anymore, not after what you did! I’ll never forgive you! I’ll kill you!”

Past me placed her hands on the other girl’s shoulders and a white light flowed out. Lunaria’s eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she collapsed into Black Opal’s arms. He’d rushed forward as soon as he’d lost his hold on her, reaching her just as she fainted.

“Make sure she’s safe.” The words were a soft murmur, love clear on the other me’s face. “I’m sorry this has come between us, sister. Especially because it’s false. Feder _will_ pay for tearing you from my side. But not now.”

They exchanged looks, some unspoken words passing between them, and he nodded. Scooped her up into his arms bridal style and carried her away.

She turned to the statue again. “I’m sorry, Goddess. I’m not strong enough on my own. Without Lunaria, I need aid, and they won’t come for many years. Forgive me.”

The statue’s eyes started crying, pale blue teardrop crystals falling around the girl’s form.

“Thank you for your kindness, Goddess.” Plucking a single gem from the growing pile, she held it against her chest, and it was absorbed into her.

I rubbed my eyes, unsure if I’d seen that right. A hand flew to my chest, as if I would suddenly feel it. When my fingers found nothing, my eyes went back to past me. She was looking up, directly at me. A soft smile on her face, something about it apologetic.

A black hole appeared behind me without any warning, sucking me in.

And then, I finally had the vision.

It was the same, only this time, it progressed farther. Charti, the gem too strong for her, overwhelmed her and turned her into a monster. Karahan gravely wounded her. Whether to stop her or to claim the gem, I wasn’t sure. I just knew that he had possession of it by the end. Escaping while everyone gathered around the fallen Dromaji girl, Cidel holding her in his arms. She apologized for how she’d treated him, saying that she should have never trusted Karahan. She closed her eyes, and they didn’t reopen. She was gone.


	20. Talks of Loyalties

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 19:

I frowned across the way at Karahan, struggling with everything I’d seen.

“Did you have your little vision?”

“I... I did.” My teeth were clenched.

“Good. Next time, though, don’t take quite so long.” He yawned. “You kept me up all night, you know, and I need my beauty sleep.”

That threw me. “All night? Crap, I gotta get back.”

“Ah, just say you went out for a walk or something.” He waved away my worries. “Now, what did you see?”

“I saw you kill Charti.”

“Was that all?” Impatient, now.

“I-What?” That was it? No defending himself? Nothing? Just... Was that all?

“I know I kill her, we’ve already had this conversation, remember? Future you told me.” A headache was beginning to form. I wondered if I would have one every time we talked. “What _else_ did you see? I know you weren’t in the vision the whole time, you only just turned into a faucet.”

I swiped at my nose, getting all the blood. “I... I was in the past. I... Lunaria blames me for killing Black Opal, but past me said it was someone named Feder.”

His gaze darkened. “Feder.”

“You know them?”

“All of Saints Haven knows him. He was the first king of the Saints Haven lineage. He united Lagendia.”

“That would make him... really old.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Lunaria.”

“I-” Blink. “Wait, you’re telling me she hasn’t died? In this whole time? But that’s... She’s gotta be _so_ old.”

“What’s age, to an immortal?” He shrugged, flippant.

My head felt like it was going to explode. Metaphorically and physically. My head was killing me.

Actual concern flitted across his face, and he leaned forward. “Are you alright?”

“And here I was under the impression you didn’t care about anything other than yourself.”

“You should leave, for now. Come back another time.”

“Hey, wait. How do I save your life?”

“You’ll figure it out.” Another shrug as he led me to the door, shutting it behind me.

I was officially kicked out. Well, alright, then. Guess I had no choice but to-

A bush rustled, and Charti walked from the woods.

“Who are you?”

“I was the one following you yesterday.” With what he’d said to her about it and the obvious visual of me leaving the cabin, I was pretty sure she wouldn’t rip my head off.

“Oh. Hi. I’m Charti. Nice to meet any friend of Karahan’s.”

“Name’s Anastasia. Ana for short. Nice to meet you, officially.”

She looked past me. “Is he here?”

“Yeah. He might be tired, though. He stayed up all night, teaching me something.”

“He’s a great guy, isn’t he? He loves helping people.” Her smile was huge when she looked at me again.

Oh, honey. She trusted him implicitly, and he was going to be the reason she died. At least, that’s what it had looked like. Was it really as simple as the vision had showed me?

“He seems okay, enough.” I tilted my head, trying to look innocent. “Did he do something?”

“Yep! He promised to help cure my people. There’s a sickness, it’s caused by this green-black sludgy stuff. It’s what happened to my arm.” A motion toward her bandaged left arm. The action making me just notice a huge, clawed monster hand.

My eyes widened. “Oh, wow. That sucks.”

I realized how stupid that sounded, but instead of getting mad, she laughed. “Yeah, right? But yeah, that’s why I think he’s so great. He’s already given us a few different short term antidotes that’ll prolong our lives and slow the spread of the poison.”

“That’s... awesome.” He didn’t sound like such a monster, when she spoke about him.

“Well, I was just leaving. Have fun.”

She nodded and wished me a good day, disappearing into the building. I let out a gust of air and gave myself a shake. Right. Back to the others. Wait.

“Hey, guys. I went out for a walk this morning because I couldn’t sleep. Gonna swing by Karacule’s hut and see if she wants anything from me today.” I sent it out to everyone, receiving a few “okay” and a “be safe.”

The old woman was waiting for me. “Good, you’re here. I want you to follow Charti again.”

“Alright.” The look on my face must’ve been something, because she frowned, giving me a slow once over.

“You’re unhappy with it?” Her tone left a lot to be desired.

“Kinda, yeah. I can do more than babysit.”

“I just want to know what she’s up to, who she’s up to it with. It can’t be that hard.”

“I’m not saying that it’s hard. She’s super easy to keep an eye on, actually. Just goes straight to wherever she needs to go.” I rolled my eyes, huffing. “What I’m saying is, I think my talents are being wasted with such a trivial task.”

“You’ll do as I say, or I can find something... else for you to do.”

I... didn’t like the sound of that. I opted to keep my mouth shut, teeth clenched. She wasn’t going to budge and, at this rate, I was just going to get more and more aggravated. She made my blood boil.

“There’s a good girl. Now, leave. I need to powder my nose.”

It took everything in me not to snap at her. Spinning on my heel, I stormed out of the hut.

It wasn’t long before I quite literally stumbled upon the girl. Dropping the magic, I stepped out from behind a tree near her.

“Oh. Hi.” She tilted her head. “I didn’t smell you this time.”

“I was upwind, I think.” A shrug.

She studied me intently. “You seem angry.”

“That old woman’s a bitch.” I groused.

“Karacule?” The name left her, twisting her lips in disdain. It was clear how much she didn’t like her.

“Yeah.”

“I get it. She treats everyone like they’re to be used, and Cidel just doesn’t see it. He says that’s how Sorceresses are, but he’s not like that.” She sighed heavily, a faraway look in her eyes.

“She really does.” I reached out and tapped her nose. “Penny for your thoughts.”

“You want to give me a flower?”

“Oh. Sorry. Where I come from, it’s a form of money. I guess copper would be the term here.” Whoops.

“Oh! That’s interesting!” A smile, now. It still seemed sad, somehow. “Well, you see... Cidel and I used to get along really well, but lately he does every single thing she tells him to. And believes what she tells him, too, without getting the other side of the story.”

“What’s she been saying?” I frowned, moving to sit on a patch of grass.

She walked over and joined me, plopping down across from me. Started pulling up blades of grass and tearing them to little pieces.

“My tribe is tasked with protecting the green dragon’s gem, so that it doesn’t awaken and reign destruction on the area again. My grandpa, he’s the village elder... Well, he’s getting old, and no one is sure how much longer he’ll be around. I’ve been raised since I was little to take it up after him. Karacule has been telling Cidel that I won’t be able to protect it and that it’ll get stolen after I come into power.” She growled, her whole body vibrating. Trembling. She was so angry... “I don’t know why, but he believes her over me. He doesn’t trust that after everything I’ve been through, that I’ll keep it safe. That my tribe will keep it safe. It’s ridiculous. Everything was fine until a few weeks ago.”

“It started then?”

“Yeah. It all started when that pink haired girl showed up.”

Pink... haired... girl...?

“Rose?” I blinked. “Rose was here?”

“I guess, if that’s her name. She was with this pig-faced man who wore fancy robes and a funny-looking hat.”

“Ignacio.” It came out almost as a snarl, and she blinked at me. Wait. “Hold on. Wait a second. Was she... conscious?”

“Yeah.” A nod, wide eyes watching me still. “She came, speaking prophecies about how people were going to die, if we didn’t trust them. That’s what Cidel said, anyway. We haven’t actually spoken, but I’ve seen her a few times, over that way.” She pointed toward where the forest turned into thick vines and swamp. “Where those cultists have their camps. Which is why me and my people don’t trust her or her false prophecies.”

I was learning more, here with her, than any of us had learned with Karacule. This was absolutely wild.

“Are you okay?” Concern was clear on her face.

“I-Yeah.” I took a deep breath. “You see, we’ve been searching for those two for weeks. We knew they came this direction, but... We’ve been trying to get information from Karacule, but she keeps withholding it. She’s been making my friends get potion ingredients for her.”

“What’s she making you do?”

“She wants me to keep an eye on Cidel.” It wasn’t a lie. It just wasn’t what she’d wanted _today._

“That old witch.” Her hands balled into fists. “She just can’t leave him be, can she? Ugh. I _hate_ her.” Her eyes narrowed and almost glared at me. “Why are you telling me this?” I couldn’t blame her for being suspicious.

“I’m with Karahan, remember? I have nothing for or against Karacule, but I don’t trust her. She’s not giving me what I want.”

“What do you want?”

“I want Rose and Ignacio, and I want my friends to be cured.” I laid it all out. “Three of my friends were poisoned with Serpentra’s blood, and they need a cure. It’s the same thing that’s plagued Karacule, something she hasn’t created an antidote for yet, it seems. I would’ve thought that such a powerful Sorceress would’ve come up with one after fifty years of being ill, but I guess not.” I huffed. I was starting to work myself up again, and I needed to calm down.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was soft, her hand reaching out and resting comfortingly on my arm. “It’s not easy, trying to find an impossible cure. I would know. Have you asked Karahan to help?”

“No. I didn’t want to ask for too much. He’s already helping me learn my magic. It’s... different from the common Sorceress, I gather. I wouldn’t even classify myself as such, actually. I certainly lack the attitude.”

There was something about her that made me want to trust her. And protect her. It made the vision I’d had all the more painful.

“At least you know where they are, generally speaking. You can go find them, now.”

“Yeah. And I think I will-Go find them now, I mean.”

Standing, brushing myself off, I sent out a quick little message to the others, saying where the two had last been seen. That I was going to scout it out and see what I could find. Ignored the many voices saying I should wait for them.

I was going alone, because of course, I was. It was what I did best-ignore everyone and go anyway. Throw myself into danger. You know, Ana things.

An Hour Later

I’d finally narrowed it down to one of the cultist camps, and I was just waiting. Waiting to see one of them come or go.

I didn’t have to wait much longer: Rose stepped out of a tent, smiling and talking to one of the masked people. She was clearly not a prisoner. Clearly here of her own volition. My eyes narrowed.

She walked out of the boundaries, passing guards stationed all around the campsite. None of them stopped her.

Definitely not there against her will.

I sent the mental image of her leaving to the others.

“What?”

“Oh, Goddess, you’ve found her!”

“Wait. She’s leaving? Without, like, an armed escort or anything?”

“Yeah.” I replied. “She’s just leaving of her own free will. I’m gonna follow her, see where she’s going, but don’t say anything to Karacule. We found this out on our own, without her help. She doesn’t need to know, in my opinion. She hasn’t given us any information since we got here. I don’t think it’s fair to share what we find.”

“What, but-”

Black Opal interrupted Elried. She seemed more sympathetic to the Sorceress than the rest of us. I wondered if that was because she’d helped with the short term antidote. Maybe she felt indebted? “I agree. She’s done nothing but keep secrets, sending us off on fetch quests. If they helped us in any way, that would be one thing, but the items are for her gain, not ours. We get nothing from helping her.”

“It’s true.” Illaria chimed in. “Every time we ask, she shuts us down with another mission gathering herbs and such. And won’t tell us what half of them are for. It’s annoying.”

“Is this... how everyone feels?” The Lancea was struggling.

Multiple “yes” came through.

“Who do we trust, then?”

Without hesitation. “Each other.” I asserted. “And I think we can at least half trust Charti. She’s the one who told me about it all. Honestly, all I had to do was talk to her. Which Karacule was adamant I shouldn’t do. Just follow her.”

“Maybe she’s hiding something?” Merritt asked, suspicious.

I moved silently through the brush, keeping Rose within sight. “If she is, we should be careful around her. There’s no telling what she’s hiding, since she won’t say anything. Which might mean being careful around Cidel, too. Charti said that about the time Rose and Ignacio showed up, Cidel started only listening to Karacule. That he did whatever she said, without asking questions. That’s why they’re on such bad terms. Something about Rose giving a prophecy about her tribe losing the gem when Charti becomes leader.”

“If Rose had a vision...”

“Who’s to say, though?” I wasn’t expecting Alina to jump in. Certainly not saying that. “Maybe Velskud ate her powers when he got his own back, using her.”

There was a weighted silence.

That... honestly could’ve happened. I didn’t know enough about him to say one way or the other. Hell, I didn’t know enough about the dragons, in general, to know if that could be true.

“It’s a possibility. The dragons can do awesome things with their powers. Maybe even drain someone of theirs. It would make sense, why they’re so feared. I mean, even Argenta didn’t want people knowing she was a dragon, said it would affect her welcome.” Merritt, ever the thinker.

Zafyra’s voice came through next. “I agree. We need to be careful with Rose, then. Especially since it seems she’s actively with the cultists and Ignacio.”

“Hold on.” I severed the link so I could focus entirely on what I was seeing.

Rose had found herself a little clearing in the trees and was looking around, like she was making sure no one was around. Then, she collapsed in a heap. I almost bolted to her, but a stick breaking stopped me. Someone was coming.

A man, wearing robes similar to what the Clerics wore but less ornate, approached. When he saw the girl laying there, he inhaled sharply and surveyed the area. A cultist came in from the left, appearing just long enough to be seen, then dove back the way they’d come. Disappearing into the foliage. Faced with the choice between going after them or saving the girl, he opted for the latter.

“I’ve found her!” He called out as he carefully picked her up bridal style.

“Terramai, thank the Goddess.” The men crashing after him all bowed their heads and sent prayers to their deity.

“Let’s get her to safety, before we celebrate. I saw one of those cultists escaping. There could be more of them about. We must stay vigilant.”

“We’ve hit a snag.” I relayed what had happened. “And they called him Terramai.”

“Terramai?” The Justitias asked in unison.

“He’s head of the Clerical order.” Merritt told us.

Elried continued. “He’s also the head of the Brotherhood of Steel, the super-secret organization that my father is in. That all the Justitias are in. It’s kind of a family business, if that helps you understand it. Shady dealings and working with suspicious people. We trade in information and black market goods. We also do quests for people, if the price is right. That’s what Eltia and I were doing, when we met Illaria, Aedethali, and Zethial: We were delivering the orb the Clerics and Sorceresses needed to receive the story of the prophet.”

“Oh, wow.” Liam murmured, finally contributing to the conversation. He normally didn’t speak, and it was always a little surprising when he deemed it necessary to do so. “So, he’s a big fish.”

“Yeah. I don’t know if he’s trustworthy, though, honestly. I do know he’s worked with my father quite a lot, and father trusted him with his life.”

“I’m going to stay around here, keep an eye on things. I can stay awake for a few days at a time.” I vividly recalled staying awake for eleven days in Thedas that one time, my fingers going to my throat. Tracing the scars there that were hidden under the turtleneck. “I’ll keep you guys informed.”

“We’ll do the same. If you need anything, let us know.”

“Will do.”


	21. Clearing Things up with Alina

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 20:

A whole day passed, sunlight becoming dusk, before I saw Rose again. She finally left one of the tents in their little camp, the medical one. The insignia was the same as the one for the royal physician. Either it was actually from the crown, or it was just the universal symbol for doctor in Lagendia.

I’d seen people coming and going during the time I’d waited, one in particular seemed to be a messenger. It was an educated guess, based entirely on the over-the-shoulder bag he wore and how tightly he gripped the strap. That, and how _fast_ he ran. He was like a bullet.

Presently, Terramai and the man were talking. The latter was handing over a rolled up paper, the former unravelling it to read. A nod from the older man, and Rose approached him.

They had a heated discussion. I didn’t want to get any closer than I already was, but I could hear snippets. Mostly from him, since he kept raising his voice.

Something about her not wanting to leave and him mentioning Karacule. That they had to go see her. He understood her anxieties, but she needed to trust him.

Eventually, she relented, and they set off.

“Incoming. We’re heading toward Karacule’s hut. Terramai and Rose alone.” The message sent out to everyone.

“We’re going now. Thanks.” Merritt replied.

It took almost two hours for them to make their way through the brush, Rose having a hard time not tripping over every single thing that was in their path. So annoying. Really drove home the fact that she hadn’t wanted to go in the first place.

The Sorceress welcomed them into her hut, sending Cidel outside. I wagered she didn’t know I was there, because she didn’t acknowledge my presence in the slightest. She cast a spell and from the incantation, I gathered it was about silencing what was said from listening ears outside.

“Terramai.”

“Karacule. It is good to see you, old friend.”

“Don’t speak sweet to me.” She sniffed, eyeing the prophet. “You said you’d found the girl. I wasn’t sure if you’d actually bring her or not.”

“Ah, yes. This is Rose.” He made a motion toward the girl. “As I said in my messages,” Ah, I’d been right. “I’d found her unconscious in the swamp, with a cultist fleeing the scene.”

“Hmm. Well. You’re finally rescued, girl. What will you do now?”

“I, ah. I don’t know. I’m not sure. I don’t think I can just go home, not after everything that’s happened. I...” She clutched her hands together at her chin, her voice getting stronger with every word. “I want to help, somehow. If my visions can help in any way, I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever I can.”

The old woman leaned forward in her chair, her gaze so intense _, I_ shrank back a little. She knew Rose wasn’t telling the whole truth but didn’t have proof. Just a feeling. Shrugging, Karacule sat back.

“Alright. There’s some people you should meet. They’ve been looking for you for a while now. I’m sure they’ll be glad to see you.”

A wave of her hand, and the magic dissipated. The door swung open and, after a couple minutes of silence, Cidel walked in. Followed closely by my friends.

Introductions were made, as if they didn’t know who she was. As if I hadn’t been telling them, word for word, what was being said in here. Not that she or the other two knew that.

Rose wasn’t... Well, from what I was seeing, she wasn’t the scared little girl she was pretending to be. Her back was straight. Her hands, which were clutched to her chest, were steady. She had no trouble making eye contact with whoever was speaking. Her voice was clear, no matter how hard she tried to stumble over her words-it ended up sounding so fake.

I wouldn’t have bought it, even without seeing her actively playing the victim last night.

The whole thing had only gone on I’d say about thirty minutes, give or take, when Rose started swaying and fell against the Cleric. Of course, concern was raised, fake on our end of course, and Terramai whisked her away.

We left shortly after.

“I don’t like this.” Elried started when we were far enough from the hut, chewing her thumbnail.

“Even if we didn’t have Anastasia’s information, I still wouldn’t trust her.” Merritt shook her head. “I’ve seen prisoners before,” I almost asked, but managed to keep my mouth shut. “and she wasn’t acting like one, from what I could tell. I could be wrong, but...”

“She certainly was _acting_ , alright.” Dawn scoffed. “Poorly, too.”

Black Opal nodded. “I don’t trust her.”

“Neither do I.” Liam chimed in. Rare for one, let alone both, to feel the need to speak.

I hooked an arm through Alina’s, taking a few steps away from the group. “I need to talk to you for a bit.” To the rest, “We’ll meet you at the inn, okay?”

“Alright.”

No one asked. They just let us leave.

I’d been biding my time for when it seemed right to pull her aside, but there hadn’t been any good time. So, I was making the time.

When we were sufficiently alone, I frowned at her. “You’re avoiding me. Well, as best you can, with us working together in such a tight-knit group. What’s going on?”

She stubbornly stared at the moss growing on the tree beside me.

“Did your gadget show you something about the future? Do I mess something up? Am I an awful monster that needs to be stopped?”

“What?” Her brow furrowed, her eyes swinging up to meet mine. “No? What made you think that?”

“I don’t know. That’s just always been a fear of mine. I don’t know why. Anyway. You’ve been ignoring me.”

She let out a gust of air, shoving a hand through her hair. Grabbing it in a fistful. “Okay. Fine. I’ve been... I saw something, and I’m not sure how to react. I don’t know what to do, okay? I didn’t realize it was that obvious.”

“Unless they’re blind, the others have seen it, too. I’m pretty sure that’s why there were no questions asked when I kidnapped you.”

She snorted. “Kidnapped. Okay.”

“So? What did you see?” I pressed, not about to let myself be distracted.

“I-Can I just say “no” and that be it?”

It was really troubling her, but she didn’t want to talk about it. How could I not immediately think it was about me going down a dark path?

“I... If you really don’t want to, I can’t force you. I just... Can you stop ignoring me?”

“I don’t know what to do!” She threw her hands up in frustration. “On the one hand, you’re my best friend! On the other hand, you’re-”

I watched as she clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes huge.

“I’m not evil?”

She shook her head.

“I don’t go on a mass murder spree?”

Another shake.

“I... don’t, I don’t know, put glue in someone’s hair?”

That got a laugh, albeit a shaky one.

“No. You don’t do that, either. It’s _nothing_ bad, I promise.”

“...Alright. I’ll let it go. For now.”

“I’ll try. To figure out how to treat you like you’re you.” A heavy sigh. “It might take some time.”

“That’s okay. I’m pretty sure I’ll be here for a while.” Something went off in my brain. “Oh, I didn’t tell you. I had that same vision, but longer.”

“Woah, really? That’s cool! How’d you do that?”

“I, ah. Actually, I had a teacher.” I was suddenly hesitant, unsure if I should actually say who. But this was Alina! “I... Karahan walked me through it, actually.”

“Kara... han...?” Her eyes bugged out. “But he’s a bad guy! Ana!”

“So is Velskud!” I shot back.

We stared each other down before she finally relented with a nod. “You’re right. I just... be careful.”

“Charti is going to die.” I blurted. Then, as if someone was speaking through me, more words poured out, falling from my tongue. I couldn’t stop them. “As far as I can tell, we can’t stop it. It has to happen.”

What the fuck?

That familiar twisting in my stomach. The spirit. _If you stopped to think about it..._

I’m sorry. Was I being-

_ Did you just possess me? _ I scowled, no doubt confusing the robot girl in front of me with my sudden mood swing. _Are you kidding me?_

_ Hush. _

That was it. That one last word, and my stomach settled. She was dormant again.

What the fuck?

Well... Did I listen to her?

_ Perhaps you should. _

Okay. Even the Well was speaking up, and on her side, too.

I took a deep breath, filling my cheeks with air, before blowing it out noisily. “I got nothing. I was just possessed, and I don’t know what to do other than keep my mouth shut about what else I saw.”

“You _what?!”_

“Right? I know! It’s crazy! Most of the time, I forget the spirit is even inside me. I never actually thought she’d possess me. She hasn’t before. Even... Okay, so there’s like a million voices in my head at any given time. Mostly just chatting about inane things that I block out, but every once in a while, they want me to listen. Well, even they’re on the spirit’s side about me shutting my mouth.”

“You... Ana, you really are strange, you know that?”

“Tell me about it.” I sighed. “We should get back before too much time goes on, and they send a search party for us.” I was only half joking.

We weren’t the most level-headed bunch, that was clear. We all often forgot about the whole mental link thing and just ventured off to find each other, instead of simply asking where the others were. We were a mess, really. And, quite frequently, it was up to us to solve everyone’s problems. I felt bad for Lagendia. We had maybe three braincells between us, on a good day.

And they were all with Merritt most of the time.


	22. Some Things are Meant to Be

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 21:

Three days passed, where it was decided that Rose would stay with Terramai while Ignacio was still in the area. A camp full of Clerics was certainly capable of keeping one teenage girl safe, right?

If she wanted to be kept safe, sure.

Everyone but me did fetch quest after fetch quest for Karacule. She was getting sicker, even though she pretended she was fine. Clearly, by the coughing and hacking, she was not. It got to the point of Cidel asking them to start looking for double what she was asking for. They were ingredients for the short term antidote. A grim future for my friends, as they watched her literally wasting away in front of them.

I’d spent the time with Charti and Karahan. She’d told me about her life in the Marsh and how her tribe had come into possession of the dragon gem. Long story short, the dragon was slain, and its gem was kept hidden for ages. The Ancients, which Zofya and Rose were, and the elves had come together to seal it into totems. The result was them giving the task of keeping it hidden and sealed to the Dromaji elder. Only their leader and soon-to-be leader knew about it. Which made me wonder why Charti had been so cavaliere with the information. She’d told me when we were still strangers, for goodness sake.

So, I’d asked.

And she’d told me that she trusted anyone who was with Karahan.

...Okay. I couldn’t fault her for that, really. I’d trusted people here simply because Alina trusted them. I could see where she was coming from.

Karahan and I had worked more on my visions. Thankfully, I hadn’t had any glimpses of the past. The time was well-spent, thankfully, focusing on me gaining the discipline needed to _demand_ the visions do what I want, and not the other way around.

So far, I’d been able to make visions happen about sixty percent of the time I’d tried. Out of that, about forty for making them show me more or specific things. It wasn’t much, but it was progress. So, he kept telling me. Surprisingly, he was a good teacher. Even with his random outbursts about how beautiful and manly he thought himself to be.

Presently, I was sitting in his cabin, trying to force a vision. All I was getting for my efforts was a headache, from how hard I was concentrating.

“Maybe the universe just has nothing to show you.” He remarked at my hundredth frustrated sigh. “Or maybe you’re looking for the wrong thing.”

“What do you mean?” My teeth were clenched, I was so annoyed.

“Why not, hmm, ask it to show you what it wants to show you, instead of forcing yourself on it?”

“I-I’ve tried that before, and it didn’t work.”

“Did you? Or do you skip over that part?” I could hear the chiding in his voice. When I didn’t respond, he chuckled. “Try it.”

“...Fine.” Fat lot of good this was going to-

As soon as I let go of the reigns, it was like a dam burst. Blood _poured_ from my nose and, just before the vision hit, I started to panic that something was wrong.

A brief flash of Charti dying. Cut to Cidel, standing tall, in front of a large group of Sorceresses. Elves joining them, ready to fight alongside them. Elried, agonized, curled up on herself and crying in the middle of the woods. The Spirit of Death extending a hand toward her, granting her abilities beyond what she could reach alone. Illaria, standing out in the rain, cursing the Goddess. The Spirit of Death extending a hand toward her, gifting her the power to never have to rely on anyone again.

Rewind.

A flash of Charti being well and truly alive. Cut to the Elves standing lonesome against their foe, no one coming to their aid. Elried and Illaria untempted, the things leading up to their decisions not happening or mattering enough to make them take the deal.

The scene went black, and I expected to come out of it, but instead, I was shown something else. Just a little peek.

A blurry face with a shaggy hair and a beanie. A boy, and he was smiling. I couldn’t see any distinct details, just a vagueness. It was more of a feeling that I got, than actually seeing the smile. He was happy, whoever he was. And that made me happy, for some reason.

Then I woke up, draped across one of the armchairs in the cabin, a cloth over my eyes. I felt so cold.

Gaining awareness of my surroundings, I realized I had a thick, heavy blanket wrapped around me. Like I was a swaddled baby.

“You’re awake!” Charti’s voice filtered through, clearing away the rest of the fog.

“I-Yeah. What happened?”

“I came to visit Karahan, and right as I walked through the door, you fell over! There was blood everywhere!”

“And no matter how I tried to reassure her that it was under control, she insisted that something was wrong.” I could hear him rolling his eyes.

“I-She-Of course!”

“To be fair,” I started, struggling to sit up. “that much blood, I’ve never had that happen before.”

“I _told_ you something was wrong!” She sounded like a whiny cheerleader. It was adorable, actually.

“Thanks for worrying but I’m okay now.”

“What did you see?”

“Ah, I’d rather not.” What I hoped was a look that said I didn’t want to say with her around.

He sniffed. “Oh, of course not. Just use me and then leave, when you have what you want.”

“It’s not like that, doofus.”

“Doofus?” My eyes found him, taking his in raised eyebrows and open mouth. “Why, I never!”

“Yeah, yeah. I should go.” It was hard, de-swaddling myself. Not something I thought I’d have to do today, honestly.

“Your friends are preparing for another of Karacule’s potions. Cidel told me one of them was having some trouble and needed another dose of the antidote.”

My chest tightened.

“Guys?” I sent out to everyone, hoping for someone to assuage my anxiety.

“Ana! What happened, we’ve been trying to contact you for forever!” Zafyra immediately responded.

“I was having visions. What happened? Charti came in saying-”

“Elried was having trouble breathing, and then she just collapsed. Luckily, we were near Karacule’s hut. She used some magic to stabilize her, and we just got back from gathering more herbs for her. We got twice as much this time but didn’t tell her that. We’re hoping to recreate it later. But anyway, Elried is about to get the dose, here in a few seconds. I think she’s going to give it to Liam and Illaria, too, as a precaution. I’m not sure yet.”

“Jeeze. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.”

“What did you see?” Dawn interjected curiously.

Now that the excitement had died down, I could feel the energy from everyone dwindle from high alert to just a simmering anxiousness. Something new. The longer we spent together, the more we felt from each other. It was happening without even trying.

“I, ah. You know, I’m gonna be honest here. I don’t think I’m supposed to share.” I really didn’t. One hundred percent, I knew I shouldn’t tell them. _Couldn’t_ tell them. I’d seen the two paths for a reason. If I told them, then we would go down the second route. Aedethali had told me Elried would gain new abilities in the future where she came back.

We just had to make sure the Lancea didn’t lose herself in the aftermath.

“Oh.” She digested that for a short time, the rest of them doing the same. I was sure they were used to it, with Black Opal going on time travel binges, but they didn’t know what to do when it was coming from someone else.

“That’s okay.” Elried joined the conversation, sounding like herself. I was glad for the antidote, however short the effects were.

“So, is this a new version of the antidote? Or the same one as before?”

“It’s a new version.”

“Could you guys tell me what’s in it?”

I went back into the cabin, reciting the list to Karahan. “That’s what’s in the latest version.”

“Not much of a tweak.” He hummed quietly.

“Elried bounced back really quick. She took it and almost instantly was fine. Much better than the first one they’d tried: the three poisoned were sickly for a few hours still after getting it.”

Another hum, this deeper. He was lost in his thoughts, now.

“Do you think there’s something there that can help my people?” Charti asked hesitantly. I could see the small hope that she was housing at the mention of the antidote.

“There may be. We’ll have to experiment again.” He gave her a look.

She nodded and clasped her hands in front of herself. A begging plea. “You know I’ll do whatever it takes, I can handle it!”

“You’re testing it on her?” I frowned. I mean, that _was_ the only way to know-to actually use it, but. I shook my head. If I couldn’t come up with an alternative, then I had no room to talk. “Nevermind. Sorry.”

“I’ll be back.” With that, he just... left.

Just walked past us and shut the door behind him. She and I looked at each other, and she shrugged.

“He does that. You get used to it.” She explained.

“Right.” I nodded. “I should...” Go. I should go. Check on Elried and see how she’s doing. “I’ll talk to you again soon. I should go check on Elried, she was the one who was ill just then.”

“Okay! Be safe out there!”

“You, too!” The words tasted sour on my tongue.

It didn’t even occur to me that I was still covered in blood. Not until I got within sight of the others, having homed in on them through the link.

“Ana!” Zafyra flitted to my side first, fretting over me. “What happened??”

“Did you get into a fight?”

“How’s the other guy?”

“Hah... No.” I laughed weakly. “Actually, it was the vision, and this was the end result. Honestly, with the scare for Elried, I’d forgotten all about it.”

“Your visions can do _that?”_

“Well... They never have before. I don’t know what happened. I was having a really hard time trying to force a vision, and then it felt like a rubber band snapped, and _bam!_ I was gushing blood. But I didn’t have the time to even think about it, before I was in the vision.”

“That sounds intense.” Illaria commented.

“It was. The vision itself was, too. There is something I can share!” I smiled widely at the thought of not leaving them completely out of the loop. “I saw a face. It was blurry, like out of focus. It was a boy, a teenager if I had to guess, and I could _feel_ that he was smiling. But I couldn’t see it. It was just the impression I got. And for whatever reason, knowing he was happy made me happy. It was so weird.”

“Sounds like a future boyfriend!” Zafyra sang.

She and the other two Justitias laughed and chanted “Boyfriend! Boyfriend!” over and over. My cheeks were so hot when Illaria finally told them to knock it off.

It was easy to forget we were all teenagers. Especially when we were doing things that could get us killed.

“Let’s all get some rest, so we’re tip top shape for tomorrow!”

I raised an eyebrow, bemused at her never-ending energy.

“Sounds like a plan.” Liam agreed.

Instead of following everyone up to the rooms, I went to the bar. Asked for a glass of hot milk and some cocoa powder. Along with something liquid that was vanilla flavored. I knew they had to have something, I’d tasted it in the hot coco Karahan had given me.

A few minutes later, after some stirring, I tasted it. A bit more of the vanilla. A bit more. A touch more.

Perfect. It was perfect, just the way I remembered it. I was honestly more than a little proud of myself for this.

I ordered enough milks for all of us, getting what felt like an irrational amount of cocoa powder, and more of the vanilla stuff. Took it all up to the boys’ room first, knocking on the door and saying to join us in Merritt’s room. Knocked on the other girls’ door and told them the same. Then, when everyone was in, I made up the drinks.

“This is hot chocolate! It’s my favorite thing in the world. Even beat out pizza, which was a feat, let me tell you.”

“Oh, I miss pizza so much. It’s so good.” The Cleric groaned, before taking a sip. “Oh, it’s so good. I can’t believe it never crossed my mind to make it here!”

“Pizza? Hot chocolate? It’s like you two are speaking another language.” Illaria frowned at us but took a tentative drink anyway.

Everyone else followed suit at her squeal. There was a round of exclamations about how good the coco was.

“Hot coco is milk or water, but I prefer milk, and cocoa powder mixed together. To get this particular taste, I mixed something that tastes like vanilla.” I explained. “And pizza... Pizza has a dough base with tomato sauce covering it. Cheese sprinkled on top, with whatever toppings you want. I usually go for pepperoni. Which is a mix of pork and beef, I think. I could be wrong. But anyway, you bake it in the oven and when it’s done, you cut it up into slices and bon appetit!” I set down my cup, clapping my hands. “It’s ready to eat! It’s one of the best things out there, in my opinion. We should make it one day.”

“I volunteer my kitchen!” Merritt shouted.

That had us all laughing. We stayed up later than we’d planned, but it was good. Chatting and hanging out. We hadn’t done that since... Yeah. They were all coming back, but boy they were taking their sweet time, weren’t they?

But tomorrow could wait until tomorrow to deal with. Tonight, we were just a pack of teens, sitting up late at night. Tomorrow we would be the warriors we needed to be.


	23. Plots and Schemes

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 22:

“You know you kill her.” I began, out of nowhere. Nothing leading up to it. Just... blurted out suddenly in the middle of a break between tries with the vision thing. “Why do you do it? ...I can’t stop thinking about it.”

He chuckled, looking over his book at me. The sound only lasted a couple seconds, his expression growing serious. “Do you really want to know? Or are you just fishing for ways to convince me not to?”

“Is there a difference?” I asked boldly, eyebrow raised.

Setting the book aside, he stared hard at me. “Cidel is to be the future leader of Fairystar. Which, in and of itself, is a miracle. One that can only happen under specific circumstances. I intend to make sure everything proceeds smoothly.”

“So... She has to die, for him to... What? Know loss?” I frowned, chewing my thumbnail in thought. “Seek revenge? Grow cold to emotion?”

“To come into his own.” A patient explanation. “If she is left alive, and the events after her death don’t happen, my fool of a sister may not name him her successor in time. She may think he’s still not ready. With her gone, however, he can gather strength from the loss and use that to prevent his other loved ones from meeting the same fate.”

“I...” Didn’t have much I could say against that. Other than it seemed cruel, to just let her die. But I understood the dilemma. Without her death...

I muttered under my breath. “This sucks.”

A softness entered his eyes. Almost... sad. I’d only seen two sides of him: confident and boasting about how handsome he is and the serious side of him, when he was in his teaching role. “If it helps, it will be an end to her suffering.”

“I saw that she-”

He made a shushing noise, shaking his head. “I don’t know when or how. Only that I do.”

He didn’t want to know. I couldn’t blame him. Imagine knowing how you’d have to kill someone you’re close to-and when. That would be hard to swallow.

“Have you made any progress with the cure for her people?” A change in subject was good.

“I have it marinating in the kitchen as we speak. Two birds, and all that.” The book lifted from the table, floating over to him as it opened. He was back to reading again.

Which meant it was time for me to get back to figuring this out. Try, try again, right?

If only-Wait. How had I forgotten _that?_

Closing my eyes, I visualized the little hidden away place in Saints Haven where Merritt and I had sat down and talked. The breeze was the first thing I felt, the sunshine coming in right after. I peeked, seeing I was outside. I could still teleport. Was it another thing Death had made me forget? Was I... forgetting anything else?

Oh, man, this sucked. So many things that had happened since I’d arrived in Lagendia sucked. I... almost wanted to go home and deal with being ignored and bullied. _Almost._

Focusing again, I found myself back at Karahan’s cabin. Mild surprise on his face, something else flashing too quick for me to catch.

“Impressive. Where did you go?”

“To Saints Haven.” It didn’t occur to me to lie, especially since we’d shared other things and he was teaching me how to do visions differently. “I, ah, forgot I could do it.”

“Forgot?” A chuckle. “Powerful _and_ forgetful. A comical, and deadly, combination.”

“It was the Spirit of Death. She likes making me forget things.”

A shadow passed over his expression, his eyes clouding. “Death.”

“Everyone I’ve asked, I’ve just been told to be careful around her, but they also say she’s not bad. Is she, like, a trickster or something?”

“She’s _something,_ alright. She’s a demon, likes to make contracts with mortals. Gives them abilities beyond anything they could hope to reach in their lifetime, no matter how much they prolong it, but it comes with a price. Usually, a heavy one. Have you made any deals with her?” A deep furrow between his brows, he watched me intently.

“Not that I’m aware of, no. She’s responsible for a few of my dead friends coming back to life, though. Later. It hasn’t happened yet. She’s also the one that gives two of my friends that are still alive at present abilities, too. Again, later. One of them is going to lose herself and become a monster, if I can’t figure out how to help her control herself. I’m not sure how to go about that, to be honest. Haven’t given it much thought, what with everything lately. I probably should, though...”

“Back from the dead? How dead?”

“Weeks, months. The days run together until they’re one amorphous block of time.”

He hummed quietly, eyes narrowing in thought. More to himself than to me, as if forgetting I was here. “I wonder what she has up her sleeve...”

We sat in silence for a while, after that. I tried to clear my mind and think only of my visions, but it was hopeless. I’d added another thing to my “worry” list: whatever Death had planned. It never crossed my mind to question it beyond the surface level. I couldn’t even be sure I’d asked, now that I thought about it.

Oh, man. I felt like an awful person all of a sudden.

“Ana, Karacule is kicking us out of her hut. She wants to talk to Cidel alone. Where are you?”

My whole body jerked in surprise, and I almost fell over. “Ah, I’m with Karahan. I can be there in a second, though. Do you want me to spy?”

There was a few seconds, probably them talking.

“If you could, that’d be great.”

“Got it.” Then, aloud to him, “I’m off to spy on Karacule.”

“Have fun.” His amused voice followed after me as I disappeared.

And reappeared, cloaked in shadow, in a corner in the hut.

The two Sorceresses were talking. Her voice was low, for his ears only. Or so she thought.

“I want you to gain access to the Inner Sanctum of that girl’s tribe, where the green dragon gem is being kept. By any means necessary.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” His eyes were wide, and he kept glancing all around. As if expecting someone to jump out of the shadows and spook him.

“Take that lot with you, but don’t tell them where you’re going.”

“What-”

“Lie.”

“Lie? To them? But they’re so nice! They’ve done nothing but help us!” He shouted.

A hiss. “Keep your voice _down_ , boy! You’ll do as I say, or I will find another way.”

The threat hung heavily between them.

After a long bout of silence, he simply nodded, looking so defeated. There was nothing he could do. Either he did as she said, and whatever she was planning happened. Or he didn’t, and she found a different, possibly worse, way and the end result was the same.

“He’s going to lie to you guys. It’s not his fault, I promise. Just let him think he’s gotten away with it. I’m going to follow behind you, invisible.” I informed the others just as he walked to the door.

“I’ll know if you disobey me, boy.” She murmured ominously as it shut behind him.

I willed myself to appear a couple feet away from my friends, and I slunk after them as they all ventured deep into the swamp.


	24. Cidel's Lament

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 23:

What had ended up happening, was that I’d heard a noise and went to inspect what it was. A nagging feeling in my stomach telling me I should. It was Charti and Karahan. She was leading him somewhere.

I told the others, and it was agreed that I would follow them instead. They would trail behind me.

So, that’s how we got to where we were now.

Where were we? We were in the Inter Sanctum. Watching as Cidel ran up and started shouting for the girl to not listen to the shady mage.

“Shut up!” She yelled back, her good hand wrapped around her bad arm’s elbow at her side. “Why can’t _you_ listen to _me_ , instead of that _witch?!_ I trust him!”

“You shouldn’t! He’s going to betray that trust! He’s just after the gem!”

“And your precious _witch_ isn’t?”

“You heard the girl, boy.” Karahan made a shooing motion.

Cidel’s face turned red, and he pulled out his spell book. Ready for a fight. Whether he’d be the one starting it or not, I wasn’t sure.

Charti turned her back on him, effectively dismissing him and whatever he was thinking of doing. Walked up to- Wait.

Had her grandfather died...? He was supposed to, before this was even a possibility. Because she was supposed to be the new chief.

Oh. That’s why they were here. She was showing him where it was, and he was going to take it. My stomach dropped. I was going to have to stand by and merely watch it unfold...

She said something too quietly for me to pick up, and a green glow slowly started oozing from the ground. Rose up, surrounding a green gemstone with smoky tendrils actively moving within it. It looked a lot like Geraint’s, when he’d died.

The green dragon’s gem. Tainted, it seemed. I wasn’t sure how, but there was clearly _something_ wrong with it.

Karahan’s eyes drifted over everyone present, including me. Stayed on me a little too long, if I was being honest. Then, he reached out for it. Charti inhaled sharply and grabbed it before he could.

Almost instantaneously, the vines at her feet came alive, more liquid than plant. Wrapped around her legs, climbing up her body until she was fully encased. She screamed and tried to break free, but it happened too fast. It absorbed into her, the gem going into the hand of the monster that stood before us. A large, liquidy fiend. That was the only word I could think of to describe it.

It was as tall as Karahan, a green and black sludgy substance in constant motion covering its entire body. Before anyone could react, it was gone, fleeing deeper into the marsh.

Karahan vanished from sight. Just _blinked_ out of existence. I didn’t realize he could teleport, too. I knew Illaria could, over very short distances and usually only used that talent in a fight, but it hadn’t struck me that he could, too.

I gotta say, I was feeling stupider and stupider, the longer I was in this world.

“What... What the hell just happened?” Elried shouted, exasperated.

“We should go after her!” Liam already had a hand on the hilt of his sword.

The others nodded.

Cidel shakily called out before they could make a move. “Wait. I think I might know where she’s going.”

“Where?”

“I’ll take you...”

“Hurry up.” Elried barked, stomping her foot to emphasize her words.

He jumped, then scurried off in an almost parallel direction to where she’d gone. It was angled away, though. Just slightly. By the time we were free of the trees, I knew we were on a wholly separate path.

“We’re not following her path.” I whispered through their minds.

“Where are you taking us?” She demanded. “We need to find her and help her.”

“I’m taking you, I swear! This way is faster than the way she went, though.”

“You’re _sure_ she went to wherever you’re leading?”

“I am. One hundred percent confident.”

“Why would she go there?”

“It’s... Her grandfather died last night. I’m sure she’ll go there, to where he’s buried.”

Oh. I’d missed it.

“Oh.” She sounded much more subdued now. Still looked fiery, but a little more somber, with that news.

The rest of the trek only took maybe fifteen more minutes and, through a break in the brush, we saw Karahan thrust a hand through the monster’s chest. Pull free the gem, the sludge leaving her body as quickly as it had consumed it.

She collapsed in a heap on the ground, not a single sound escaping her. He looked over his shoulder at us and then vanished again.

He’d been right: she’d been suffering. And he’d put an end to it.

Cidel bolted to her side, pulling her into his arms. Cradling her on his lap.

After a few soft words between them, her head lolled to the side. He broke, bursting into tears. Everyone stood around him, shielding him from anything that might happen upon the scene.

I didn’t know what to do.

_ A shame. _

_ One so young. _

_ Her death will have meaning. _

_ But did her life not, as well? _

“Guys, I cannot deal with this right now.” I responded wearily in my head. “I know. I know. ...I know.”

_ Things may start falling into place rather quickly, now. _

_ There wasn’t much time between Elried and Illaria’s deals with Death and the girl’s demise. _

_ Your visions showed them to be one shortly after the other. _

That was something I hadn’t put together yet.

“We’ll have to wait and watch.”

A Few Hours Later

It took some time, but Cidel was persuaded to take Charti’s body to her tribe, where they would bury her properly. After that, he took us back to Karacule’s hut.

She was coughing an awful lot during his recount of what had happened. How her brother had stolen the gem.

“And then, he... killed her. He ripped the gem from her, and she... died... from the injury.”

She sighed, which brought on another coughing fit. A few minutes passed before she could gather herself.

“Leave us.” That was it.

My friends filed out, leaving the three of us in the room.

“Cidel, I need you to listen carefully.”

He wiped his eyes and hesitantly looked at her. Dipped his head in acknowledgment.

“I am naming you as my successor.” His face went slack, too shocked to react. “I will pass soon, and you need to be ready to lead Fairystar. Have those adventurers undergo training for their second specialization in the time I have left. Organize them. They’re going to need to be stronger, to prepare for what’s to come. Now that Karahan has the green dragon’s gem, you have a limited amount of time before you see the dragon rise again. You must be ready. The _coven_ , as a whole, must be ready to act, in case they are needed. You shouldn’t rely wholly on the travelers, no matter how strong that lot is. Remember this. I don’t have much time left in this world. Now, dry your eyes and go tell them not to come back before they each have their second specialization.”

He nodded dumbly for a solid minute, inhaling sharply when he came back to himself. “Right. Okay. I can do this.”

With that, he walked out the door, going to inform those waiting outside about their next task.


	25. Of Dreams and Nightmares

Obligatory Chapter Heading:

Chapter 24:

The group split, after that. The Justitias, save for Elried, heading back to Saints Haven, to speak to their trainers. Black Opal straight up vanished. Just didn’t come back. I assumed he was with Lunaria or that he had gone back to whatever trainer he had, wherever they were. Dawn went to the Dromaji tribe, to ask if there was anything they could teach her. Liam went back to Prairie Town, back to where he’d grown up. He knew the Warrior teacher there well. Illaria went to Marsala in Lotus Marsh. Alina tinkered with her robots for a while, then said she had to go meet someone. That they would expand her knowledge of machinery.

Elried, well, she pulled an Opal: waited until the others were gone and just went into the swamp without a word. I knew what she was doing, vaguely, so I didn’t question it. Besides, I was the only one left _to_ question it. Everyone else was gone.

A second specialization? What did that even mean? A new way of fighting? New moves? I wasn’t sure. I didn’t have a trainer, so I had nowhere to go.

Two days passed, where I found a small clearing on the outskirts of the village and focused on getting better with the visions. There was nothing else to do, unless I wanted to go in search of Karahan, but something told me we’d find him eventually. He couldn’t stay hidden long, if he was going to resurrect a dragon. They were huge. Hard to keep something that big out of sight.

On the third day, I had the strangest dream. Aedethali was braiding my hair, singing softly. I couldn’t understand any of the words-I assumed it was Elvish, but it was comforting, for some reason. I could feel my whole being let go. Release a deep breath. My body relaxing limb by limb until I felt like jelly.

Zofya was standing a little ways from us, eyes closed, dancing. Chakrams flowing as if they were extensions of her arms. It was beautiful, the way she twisted and spun, in time to the beat of the song.

Zethial was there, too, sitting beside me. Staring out at the horizon. Silent. A soft expression on his face.

We stayed like that for a while, what felt like an eternity.

An orb of light, the shape of a teardrop, floated out from my chest. Drifting in the middle of our group, shifting. Elongating. Becoming the form of a person. The brightness dimmed until I could see the woman beneath.

She had her eyes closed, at first, her hands clutched at her chest. Looking like she was either asleep or praying. Slowly, her lids lifted, revealing crystalline eyes. They reminded me of mine, how the blue was so clear, almost like ice.

“Anastasia, it’s good to see you again.” Her voice was melodic, as if she was singing.

“Again?” I frowned.

“You’ve changed your hair.” Sad, now. A hand reaching out, taking a lock and letting it slip through her fingers.

“I’m going to change it back before I leave.”

She smiled softly, a hum leaving her. “I’m glad.”

“Who are you?” I couldn’t keep the question in any longer, and the Well was silent. No help on that front. If I’d met her before, I couldn’t remember. I doubted it, because there was no way I would forget seeing such an ethereal visage.

A laugh left her, genuine amusement entering her expression. “You know who I am, surely?”

I glanced around at my companions, starting to feel anxiety. No. She couldn’t be who I thought she was. Absolutely not. There was no way.

“You’re... I’m sorry.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose, my eyes closed. A headache was forming. “I’m talking to a Goddess? You’re Altea?”

“Quite appropriate that it’s in a dream, isn’t it?”

She was making jokes about herself being in an eternal slumber. The ache grew stronger. Like it was trying to wake me up.

“Why?” I opened my eyes, frowning at her. Exasperated. I couldn’t believe I was talking to an actual Goddess. Or that I was getting frustrated with it, either. I honestly didn’t even know why I was.

“I wanted to see you.” A simple answer.

“Why me? There are so many other people, all of them more deserving-they actually believe in you-that would be overjoyed to have a visit from you!”

Another laugh. “You don’t have to believe. You are important to me, whether you believe or not.”

“Well, now I do!” I was fully aware that both my tone and my physical response were irrational, but I couldn’t stop myself. It was like I was removed, watching the scene unfold, yet I was fully present and in control. So weird.

She knelt, her hands going to cup my face. Instantly, I felt that same relaxation from before she’d arrived.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered, my eyes watering. “I don’t know why...”

“It’s hard, to be faced with something other, something divine. I understand. You’ve been with humans for so long, you’ve forgotten.”

“Forgotten...?” My brows furrowed. “I don’t understand. Did we meet before, in a past life of mine?”

“Your first. You’ve forgotten who you are.” The smile was back, tinged with sorrow this time.

Who I... am...?

“Who am I?”

“I’m uncertain if you will be able to handle the knowledge right now. I don’t want to...” She trailed off, searching for the right words.

“Break me?” I gave a half smile.

She nodded, her own smile spreading. “Yes. I wouldn’t want to break you.”

“What did you do? Why am I not-”

Her hands squeezed lightly, stopping me from talking. “It’s easy, to clear the mind, when I can touch. That’s all I did. Merely cleared your mind and settled your heart.”

“I need that all the time.” I was aware of how angsty I sometimes sounded, though I was unable to stop it from happening. “Is there a way I can do it myself?”

Hesitation, eyes searching mine. “When you know who you are, you will be able to. It will assuage a lot of your feelings, I’m certain of it.”

“If I can handle it.”

“If you can handle it, yes. Though I believe that when the time comes, you _will_ be able to.”

“I hope so. Would hate to have a mental breakdown in the middle of everything going on right now.”

“It’s only going to get harder from here on out, I’m afraid.”

“I know.” I sighed. “It always does. As long as I can protect my friends, that’s all I care about. And now that the Spirit of Death gave me back my memories-Wait. Do you know, is she holding anything else hostage?”

She tilted her head. “I don’t see anything. The only thing behind a block is the knowledge of who you are.”

“That’s a relief.” A thought suddenly occurred to me. “Do you know how my visions work? How I can force them to do what I want _all_ the time? I can only manage it about half the time.”

“You can’t _force_ it. You must ask for it, let it come to you. Ask to see more. Specific parameters.”

“What if I really want to see something, but it won’t come, no matter how much I want it?”

“Then you’re not meant to see it.”

Such a simple thing.

“That doesn’t make me happy.” Another sigh.

“Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”

“Everyone’s off doing their second specializations, to get stronger, because Karacule demanded they do them... I’m not a Kali or a Sorceress, even though I can use the chakram and know a bit of magic. A Lancea or a Cleric. I’m not a Tinkerer, either. I’m an Assassin, in another world, but I don’t do the same things Black Opal does. I’m not an Archer, even though I can use a bow, a little, or a Warrior. And I’m not a Machina, like Dawn. I don’t fit anywhere. I don’t know what to do, and I feel... lost. What am I supposed to be doing?”

“Perhaps... you’re looking in the wrong places.” It took a moment for her to elaborate, something in my face probably telling her she needed to. “If your piece is different from the puzzle, find a different puzzle.”

So... not going to point me in the right direction. I had to figure this out on my own.

“It wouldn’t be fun, if I told you everything.”

My eyes widened, and my cheeks heated. She could read my mind. I don’t know how I’d failed to realize that, when she’d obvious looked into my head to see if anything was blocked off. I felt _so_ stupid.

The sky darkened, black clouds moving to cover the sun.

Her expression shifted to show her anxiety. “I’m sorry. I have to leave now.”

“Vestinel is coming.” The name fell from my lips without a thought. I’d been told about the tale, of course. Of how Altea’s sister had poisoned her.

But that didn’t explain how I _knew_ why the Goddess was suddenly saying she had to leave, without thinking about it first.

She froze, her eyes staring intently at me for a moment. “Yes. I need to leave, before she finds me here. Before she fully enters your dreamworld.” Pulling away, she straightened and covered her heart with her hands. Eyes closing.

She became that teardrop light again, and it disappeared back into my chest.

Aedethali, Zethial, and Zofya all stopped what they were doing and moved to stand in front of me. Defensive, weapons drawn.

“Where is she?” The voice echoed around us, coming from everywhere.

A woman, wearing a flowing black dress, materialized from the impromptu night. Black hair, black eyes, pale skin. She looked like an avatar for death.

“Where is my sister?”

Vestinel.

If someone had told me I would go to bed tonight and meet not one, but two Goddesses, I would’ve laughed at them.

“You.” She sneered, raising a hand. A finger pointing toward me.

My friends moved to stand tighter together. I could barely see her over their shoulders.

“Oh, do relax. I won’t hurt her. Right now.”

“Begone.” The Cleric barked, raising his shield higher. Shifting his stance, making me think he was planning on launching himself at her at one false move.

“Quiet!” A hiss, scowling at the boy. “How _dare_ you speak to me, mortal?”

“Yeah, no. You really should go.” I walked around them, moving in her direction. “You can leave, if you’re going to talk to my friends that way. This is _my_ dream, and _you’re_ not welcome.”

“What-”

Her form wavered, her expression shifting to surprise. Her eyes meeting mine, before she disintegrated and was carried away by the wind.

“You should wake up now.” Aedethali spoke softly, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I woke up in a cold sweat.


End file.
